If you’re always the person covered in mosquito bites while everyone around you seems untouched, you’re probably not imagining it. Mosquitoes really are more attracted to some people than others.
Research suggests that your individual skin odour and the chemical compounds naturally produced on your skin can play an important role. Mosquitoes also use signals including the carbon dioxide we breathe out and body heat to help locate us.
So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Why do mosquitoes always bite me?” there is science behind being a so-called mosquito magnet.
Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others?
One of the biggest differences appears to be the way we smell to mosquitoes.
Every person’s skin produces its own combination of chemical compounds. Research published in Cell found that people who were particularly attractive to mosquitoes had higher levels of certain compounds coming from their skin.
Remarkably, this attraction appeared to remain relatively consistent over time.
In other words, if mosquitoes seem to love you, there may actually be a biological reason for it.
Does Your Blood Type Make Mosquitoes Bite You More?
You may have heard that mosquitoes prefer certain blood types.
Some studies have suggested there may be an association between blood type and mosquito attraction, but the evidence is not as strong as it is for factors such as skin odour.
Mosquitoes don’t simply choose us based on one characteristic. They use a combination of signals to find a potential host.
How Do Mosquitoes Find You?
Mosquitoes are remarkably good at detecting us.
Carbon dioxide is one of their most important clues. Every time we breathe out, we release carbon dioxide into the air, which mosquitoes can detect and use to help locate a potential host.
As they get closer, other signals become important too, including body heat and the chemical compounds produced by our skin.
This is one reason mosquitoes can seem to find you even when you haven’t noticed them.
Why Do Mosquitoes Bite Me but Not My Partner?
If you’re being bitten while the person sitting beside you appears completely untouched, differences in your individual body chemistry may be partly responsible.
Each of us produces a different combination of skin compounds, heat and other signals. To a mosquito, two people sitting side by side can therefore be very different prospects.
There is another possibility too: some people react more visibly to mosquito bites than others.
So your partner may occasionally be bitten without developing the same noticeable reaction.
Can You Stop Mosquitoes Being Attracted to You?
You can’t change your natural body chemistry, but you can make it harder for mosquitoes to reach and bite you.
Covering exposed skin, using screens where appropriate and being aware of mosquito activity can all help.
Using an appropriate insect repellent can also form part of your protection.
For travel to destinations where mosquitoes can transmit disease, always check current official travel-health guidance and use a repellent recommended for your destination.
A Better Way to Keep Insect Repellent Close
Love Bites Only was created around a simple idea: insect protection should be something you actually want to keep within reach.
Our DEET-free insect repellent is made in Britain and designed to fit easily into everyday life —whether it’s sitting by the back door, travelling in your handbag or coming with you on your next adventure.
Because whether mosquitoes find you irresistible or barely notice you, being prepared is always a good idea.
Love Bites Only. We’ve got you.