Home Remedies for Insect Bites

Again, were you "eaten" by mosquitoes last night? Why are you attracting them so much? Are there really mosquito skins?

mosquito skin

Ah, mosquitoes, what an infamy! These small unwelcome beasts that bite us as soon as the temperature is conducive to evenings with friends on the terrace. What would not be given to be the one who is never stung! For this, we must already know what really attracts mosquitoes.

What attracts mosquitoes?

In fact, what grows our presence with these biting insects, it is especially the carbon dioxide (CO2) that we exhale by the mouth. Mosquitoes can smell CO2 up to 10 meters away! It is this main factor that makes us so appetizing. Thus, active people, who emit more CO2 are the main targets of mosquitoes.

Body odor also plays a role. "Each mosquito has a very developed sense of smell, and a different perception of the smells that our body releases", explains Stéphane Robert, founder of the Vigilance-mosquitoes website. Thus, perspiration, the smell that emanates from our pores can attract some mosquitoes (perspiration of beer drinkers in this case), while others, on the other hand, will not be at all fond of our smell.

Mosquitoes are also attracted to the temperature of our body. They prefer blood around 37 ° C, so they do not care about animals that do not have this basic temperature. Pregnant women attract mosquitoes! In fact, they release on average 20% more CO 2 than the others.

They are also sensitive to dark colors, such as dark blue. "The mosquitoes are almost blind, yet it seems that they are still attracted by the dark colors," says Stéphane Robert. Many misconceptions also circulate about what can attract mosquitoes:

the idea that sweet blood is particularly valued by these insects is totally false;

in the same way, what we eat (garlic, for example) has no influence;

mosquitoes are not attracted by light because they hardly see it. "Moreover, it is rare to see mosquitoes in full sun, they will naturally prefer places in the shade, trees and wet".

It's hard to avoid mosquito bites when sunny days come again. But before you turn to drugs or ointments, think of the good old methods of grandmother, just as effective.