An international research team has concluded that mosquitoes exhibit certain “preferences” when biting humans. Only female insects of this species act as the “aggressors.” They pay close attention to signals such as body odor, temperature, and the carbon dioxide exhaled by their “victims.” The findings were detailed in an article published on Science Alert.
According to experts, the primary “bait” for mosquitoes is specifically the CO₂ released by humans during breathing. This attraction is further intensified by a distinctive scent that the insects can detect from roughly 10 meters away.
It is known that each person emits between 300 and 1,000 different aromatic compounds. To determine which of these are particularly appealing to mosquitoes, scientists conducted an experiment involving 42 women and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are carriers of dengue and yellow fever. The study revealed that out of a thousand scents, mosquitoes can accurately distinguish about 27, and these are the ones that most strongly draw the insects.
The most powerful “catalyst” for their interest turned out to be elevated levels of the compound 1-octen-3-ol, also known as “mushroom alcohol.” This substance is present in everyone, but certain individuals produce it in larger amounts due to factors like skin microbiota, hormonal fluctuations, and metabolic processes—especially in pregnant women.
Beer also attracts blood-sucking insects because it raises body temperature, increases the volume of exhaled CO₂, and alters skin odor. An important detail: the smell of beer is particularly appealing to mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus, which transmit malaria.
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