You may recognize this: You wake up in the morning after a sultry summer night, and you find yourself covered with mosquito bites while your bed partner turns out to be unharmed! How is this possible? Do you have sweet blood? Should you eat more garlic?

This article explains how to deal with mosquitoes effectively according to science, as well as why they chose you as their target. We also bust some persistent myths along the way.

Mosquitoes can sure be annoying little critters in the bedroom - Image Credit: Stokkete via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci

Mosquitoes are fascinating but dangerous creatures

Mosquitoes are fascinating creatures; they have been on Earth for approximately 50 million years and have hardly changed in that time. They still ingest blood the same way they did 50 million years ago. They land on your skin without you noticing, and they pierce your skin at night without you feeling a thing. They are incredibly effective critters.

There's a more sinister side to mosquitoes, though. They are the world's most deadly animal by a long shot, and sadly, they still cause an incredible amount of human suffering in the world.

To illustrate the deadliness of the mosquito, Dr. Bart Knols (medical entomologist and specialist in the field of mosquitoes and tropical infectious diseases) rather aptly put it into perspective in one of his lectures by linking it with worldwide. He stated that about 1,300 people a day (425,000 a year) die from violence around the world. The mosquito, on the other hand, is responsible for about 725,000 fatalities per year.

Many of us are not aware of this fact, newspapers are commonly filled with stories about crime, violence, and war, but the mosquito is more of a silent killer.

How do mosquitoes find you?

Female mosquitoes are the ones causing trouble; they are the ones that actually take your blood. Male mosquitoes, on the other hand, only feed on nectar and other juices from plants.

So how does a mosquito find you? The female mosquito finds us remotely by detecting our scent. They 'smell' us via the scent receptors located on their antennae. Of 72 types of odor receptors on its antennae, at least 27 are attuned to detect chemicals found in perspiration.

Interestingly enough, male mosquitoes also possess antennae, but in comparison to their female equivalents, they are noticeably bushier and contain auditory receptors to detect the characteristic whine of the females.

Mosquitos can detect us at up to a distance of 50 meters (164ft). Akin to a chimney that emits smoke, we too emit a plume of scent that is susceptible to the wind. Mosquitos tend to fly in the opposite direction of such 'scent plumes,' eventually reaching you to bite.

Caltech research has shown that mosquitoes use vision to connect scent/odor plumes with thermal targets. According to Knols, they perceive us like a glowing object, similar to how we perceive humans through night vision goggles.

Why do mosquitoes bite me, but not my partner?

So why do some people get bitten more easily by mosquitoes than others? It has everything to do with the scents we produce scents on our skin.

We release more than 300 chemical compounds through our skin in addition to 100 compounds that we breathe out. The mixture of scents we produced has to do with genetic makeup and what we eat. Ultimately, each of us has our own unique scent profile. We all smell different.

Why do they bite you, but not your partner? - Image Credit: LightField Studios via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci

If you were to take off your shirt and give it to a sniffer dog, it would be able to find you specifically within a crowd. Mosquitoes can do this too. They respond to a particular 'scent profile.' You produce scents that are attractive to mosquitoes as well as scents that are unattractive to mosquitos. It is the ratio of these scents that determines how attractive you are to mosquitoes versus your partner. A mosquito will always have a preference for one of the two.

Interestingly, pregnant women tend to get bitten by mosquitoes more often because they have a higher metabolism during their pregnancy. In short, they produce more carbon dioxide released with their breath, and they have a slightly elevated body temperature, making them a winning target for mosquitoes.

Myths about mosquito repellants

Before we move on to what does work, it might be helpful to dispel the most persistent myths surrounding the subject.

Turning off the lights

A lot of people are under the impression that turning off the lights will keep away mosquitos. Light has nothing to do with mosquitoes; they are not attracted to light. They are attracted to scent. Light does indeed attract a lot of fly species and other insects, but mosquitoes are not among them.

Blood sweetness

Myth number 2: blood sweetness. Another common myth surrounding mosquitoes is that they are attracted to the sweetness of someone's blood. According to Dr. Knols, this is utter nonsense. No research has ever shown that an elevated sugar level in the blood is attractive to mosquitoes.

Eating garlic

Another common myth is that eating garlic repels mosquitoes. Dr. Knols jokingly stated that you could repel many things by eating garlic, chiefly other people but not mosquitoes. It has never been scientifically proven that you can keep mosquitoes away with garlic.

Citronella candles

It is fine to buy a citronella candle as a decorative candle or if you like the smell. But it does not work to fend off mosquitoes. As reported by Knols, it may have some effect at a distance of a few centimeters, but it offers no protection from it if you are a meter away.

Citronella bracelets

Bracelets impregnated with citronella oil are popular; they smell nice but do almost nothing to fend of mosquitos. Knols stated that, on average, you might be bitten less often on the few centimeters of skin surrounding the bracelet, but otherwise, it offers no protection.

Mosquito repelling phone apps

Finally, some phone apps claim to produce ultrasounds that mimic the sound of male mosquitoes. These apps are total nonsense, according to Dr. Knols. Don't use them; it is a waste of money.

How to actually deal with mosquitoes?

So what does work? Simply slapping them with a fly swapper is tedious and ineffective (How mosquitoes get away before you can slap them), especially if you are trying to go to sleep.

In general: you'll need something that completely covers your skin to repel mosquitoes effectively. When you cover your entire skin with an active ingredient such as a mix of eucalyptus oil and p-Menthane-3,8-diol (a.k.a. menthoglycol), you should be able to keep the majority of mosquitoes at a distance.

According to Dr. Knols, the above-mentioned substance should enjoy preference over DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide). This is because DEET dissolves plastics, and about 20% of it is absorbed by your skin and ends up in your blood. This is why it is not recommended for young children or pregnant women. Nonetheless, DEET does work very well. (But maybe try a different repellent first).

Image Credit: Elizaveta Galitckaia via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci

A better solution to keep away mosquitoes than covering your skin with a product

If your mosquito problem occurs at home, Dr. Knols advises not to go for remedies immediately, but perhaps it may be beneficial to take a look in the garden first.

If you happen to find standing water, such as a bucket with a layer of rainwater, somewhere around the house, be sure to get rid of it as it may serve as a breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Removing such a resource could solve most of your problems.

If this does not help or if such a source is not present in your immediate surroundings, a second solution you could look into is placing an insect screen in the bedroom window. This should prevent most mosquitoes from entering. If the problem still persists, an additional mosquito net may be a good solution as well. If all else fails, you can consider covering yourself with one of the above-mentioned products on top of these measures.

Sources and further reading: