Mosquitoes Have a Preference for Who They Bite: Do You Fit the Bill?

Mosquitoes love to snack on human flesh throughout the summer, taking tiny bites of just about every one they encounter. However, it does seem that some of us are more lucky than others. Mosquitoes, for some reason that we're just not sure of, don't like to chomp on some of us quite as much. But why?

According to a report from the Smithsonian, there's quite a few reasons that might explain this. In fact, it's not just whoever these pesky blood suckers encounter first. It has to do with a couple of factors:

• Type O blood
• Wearing colors that stand out
• High amounts of bacteria on the skin
• Pregnant

According to the article, these bugs are more than twice as likely to be attracted to Type O blood than Type A. And adults get bitten more than children because they exhale more carbon dioxide over time, which also attracts more bugs in general.

"Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance," said Joe Conlon, PhD, technical advisor to the American Mosquito Control Association, via the University Herald.

Web MD shows that many chemical and natural repellents can be found at the drug store and regular super markets to help ward off these obnixious creatures

And as for the dangers of mosquito bites, itching or rashes are probably all most will encounter from mosquitoes. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention does note that West Nile has currently been found in portions of the United States, with the first case reported back in 1999. In other parts of the world, Malaria has also resulted from mosquito bites.