Some people naturally produce certain chemicals that repel mosquitoes, while others don’t, I tell you why mosquitoes bite some people more than others.
Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others? You have surely noticed that, being surrounded by mosquitoes, insects seem to bite you much more often than your companions.
This is because some people naturally produce certain chemicals that repel mosquitoes, hiding the smell of those that attract them, according to researchers from Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom.
The human body produces about 400 different volatile chemicals. To identify those responsible for fending off the mosquitoes, scientists James Logan and John Picket placed two people inside a room filled with the hungry insects.
You are interested: Work can stand by. Your emotional wellness can’t
They observed which of the two participants suffered fewer bites and wrapped him in aluminum foil to collect his sweat.
Using a technique known as chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAG), they were able to separate the individual’s “perfume” into its chemical components and test the mosquitoes’ reaction to each of them.
It is still unknown why some people produce these repellent chemicals naturally, while others do not.
Theories about mosquito bites
One theory indicates that, due to routine exposure to insects, certain people developed a method of protection.
Only female mosquitoes bite, as they require blood to produce eggs (males feed on nectar from flowers).
After piercing the skin with his mouth, his saliva lubricates the hole so he can easily suck the blood. It is the saliva, along with the wound, that produces the itchiness and irritation that we associate with stings.
The research results were published in The Royal Society.
You may read: Colombian Alejandra Torres: Spirit of a Shark and Heart of a Woman