While most people think of holiday stories when talking about the summer months, we should not forget the mosquitoes that ruin summer evenings. Probably everyone has a friend who is constantly bitten by mosquitoes and a friend who has never been bitten by any mosquitoes. This is because mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find people to bite, and some people smell more “attractive”. Many different things, such as perfume, soap, our diet, and so on, can affect our scent.
But how accurate is what we know about what smells mosquitoes like and dislike? Which ones are real and which ones are urban legends? Let’s see together…
1. Soap brand
As we all know, soaps affect how we smell, but people using the same soap can smell different from each other. A study published this year found that for some people, washing with Dove and Simple Truth soaps makes them more attractive to mosquitoes, but washing with Native soap repels them. But for other people, which soap they used did not affect how attractive the mosquitoes found them. One brand of soap that protects someone else against mosquitoes may make no difference to you.
2. Banana
You may want to eat grapes instead of bananas this summer to avoid mosquito bites. A study conducted in the USA found that after some people eat a banana, the smell of their hands is more attractive to mosquitoes. This appeal, however, did not apply to all fruits. The same methods were repeated using grapes and no difference was observed for mosquitoes after the volunteers ate the grapes.
3. Beer
A 2010 study measured how attractive mosquitoes find people to be before and after drinking beer or water. After drinking beer, the volunteers’ body odor became more attractive to mosquitoes.
However, there was no change in how attractive the mosquitoes found the volunteers to be after they drank the water.
4. Deodorant
A study published in Nature found that a compound in deodorants (isopropyl tetradecanoate) repels mosquitoes by preventing them from landing on a deodorant-covered surface. In fact, there was a 56% reduction in the number of mosquitoes landing. It may be even more important to remember to use deodorant while exercising. Another study in Nature revealed that mosquitoes find you more attractive if you are sweaty.
5. Garlic and Vitamin B
Many people eat garlic and take vitamin B supplements as a home remedy to repel mosquitoes. In a 2005 study, participants were exposed to mosquitoes after consuming either garlic or a placebo. The number of mosquito bites was recorded, among other measurements, and the results provided no evidence that garlic repels mosquitoes.
Similarly, another study from 2005 found that taking a B vitamin supplement had no effect on skin odor attractiveness for mosquitoes.
6. Deet repellent
Deet is a chemical found in many insect repellents that can be used on bare skin. It doesn’t smell very good (for us and mosquitoes alike) and may feel a little greasy, but insect repellents with Deet offer the longest protection against mosquito bites compared to other repellents.
7. Applying pesticides to clothes
If you don’t like the idea of applying the repellent directly to your skin, you can spray your clothes with an insecticide like permethrin. This is an effective way to prevent mosquitoes from biting skin covered in spray-on clothing, and is a technique used by the military. It may be worth taking this precaution, as mosquitoes often bite through non-medicated clothing.
However, despite all these precautions, mosquitoes may still be biting you. The reason behind this is that your genetics also affect how you smell and therefore how attractive you are to mosquitoes.
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