Updated
February 11, 2020 08: 44: 05
It’s always you, isn’t it? The person busy swatting away buzzing backyard mosquitoes or nursing an arm full of itchy red lumps after a weekend camping trip.
You’re not imagining it — mosquitoes really are attracted to some people more than others.
Why do mosquitoes need blood?
Only female mosquitoes bite. They do it for the nutrition contained in blood, which helps develop their eggs.
Mosquitoes don’t just get blood from people. They’re actually far more likely to get it from biting animals, birds, frogs and reptiles. They even bite earthworms.
But some mosquitoes specifically target people. One of the worst culprits is the Aedes aegypti species, which spreads dengue and yellow fever viruses.
Another that prefers humans are the Anopheles mosquitoes, responsible for spreading the parasites that cause malaria.
How do mosquitoes find us?
Most mosquitoes will get their blood from whatever is a