If you have ever suspected yourself of being a prime target for mosquito bites, you might be right.
As it turns out, mosquitoes may be more inclined to bite some people than others. Several factors, including your DNA, can impact how attractive you are to the pesky insects whose populations tend to rise in the warm and humid summer months.
There are several theories about what makes a person more likely to be bitten. Previous research has indicated that people with “O” blood type are more susceptible to mosquito bites, but an insect specialist at Clemson University, Eric Benson, told FOX News there is no strong evidence to support that conclusion.
Instead, mosquitoes may be more attracted to the carbon dioxide produced when you exhale. They may also be drawn to higher body temperatures. As a result, you can be detectable when you exercise and are warmer and generate more carbon dioxide.
Mosquitoes leverage their antennae and palps, the organ located between their antennae, to detect odor and carbon dioxide, according to Pfizer.
And it is not just people who exercise.
Anyone with a higher metabolic rate, like a pregnant woman or someone who is drinking alcohol, can drive greater attraction.
Dark clothes, too, can draw the pesky bugs. In part, darker colors can radiate more heat.
While some factors are in your control, unfortunately, not all are. In fact, genetics may be the biggest driver of the likelihood that you get bitten instead of the person standing beside you. A study from 2015 published in the journal PLOS One found that DNA might be responsible for nearly 67% of mosquito attraction.