Does perfume attract mosquitoes? Learn more about attracting substances

It is essential to have effective mosquito prevention everywhere on the planet. Mosquitoes, after all, can quickly drive everyone inside during a backyard barbecue or get-together, and we all know how valuable those late afternoons and outside evenings can be when you're exhausted from being inside to mitigate the summer temperatures.

Certain items attract mosquitos and others that repel them. But what odors repel mosquitos, what attracts them, and does perfume attract flies? Some people appear to attract mosquitoes, while others seem to be made of personal repellent. It's vital to understand what makes insects tick if you want to comfortably spend time outside during mosquito season.

What Causes Mosquitoes to Bite?

Mosquitoes bite because they are drawn to certain scents and have supercharged receptors that can detect odors from up to 100 feet away. Female mosquitoes, who are always on the lookout for novel odors, are also more noteworthy than male mosquitoes since they bite.

There are abundant different mosquito species, and not all activities respond to the same odors. Birds, livestock, dogs, and humans are among the things that some will bite. Like Aedes aegypti or Anopheles gambiae, others chiefly bite humans and focus their efforts on the ankles and feet rather than other exposed body areas.

Mosquito Attraction towards Scents & Odors

It is the odors that truly excite mosquitoes. Some are beyond your control, such as the carbon dioxide we breathe out. That's why mosquitoes seemed to swarm around you while gasping and puffing after some vigorous activity. Obese persons and pregnant women create more carbon dioxide than others, which might attract a mosquito even when many other people are nearby.

Lactic acid is another odor that attracts mosquitos, which is terrible news for humans because we make lactic acid through physical exertion and sweat it out. Lactic acid can also be found in yogurt, fermented vegetables, wine, and sourdough bread. If you have any of these on hand, you're accidentally gathering mosquito-attracting substances.

Mosquitoes are attracted to people with blood Type O; therefore, those who plan to spend time outside should take extra precautions. Those with blood type A, on the other hand, are fortunate in that mosquitoes seem to avoid them.

Body odor, or the specific combination of sweat and bacteria that radiates from human skin, irritates mosquitos. When work dries and settles on the skin, it reacts with bacteria to produce an odor that mosquitoes find enticing. Uncleaned clothes and stinky socks or footwear can also attract mosquitoes, so make sure you shower and wear clean clothes to avoid them.

Perfume & Mosquitoes Chemistry 

The answer to the question "does perfume attract bugs?" is, as you may have guessed, yes. Unfortunately, perfumes contain ingredients that mosquitos and bugs enjoy, and mosquitos will use their keen sense of smell to track down someone wearing perfume, especially if it smells floral. That is why attempting to hide body odor with perfume or cologne does not work. Pests will be drawn to both types of fragrances, and scent can make the draw stronger.

Thus, if all you want is to be left alone by mosquitoes, perform the things that repel mosquitoes, such as showering after any physical activity, wearing clean clothes with no perfumes, and applying mosquito repellant to sensitive skin areas.