Scientists: 'People who drink this are extra attractive to mosquitoes'

Are you always covered in mosquito bites in the summer, while your partner is always left alone? It's sometimes said this has to do with "sweet blood," but researchers at Radboud University offer a completely different explanation: what you drink appears to play a major role in how attractive you are to mosquitoes.

For the study, 500 people at a music festival were exposed to thousands of female mosquitoes . All participants completed a questionnaire beforehand about their hygiene, diet, and behavior at the festival, before placing their arm in a specially designed cage filled with mosquitoes. This cage had small holes so mosquitoes could smell the person's arm but not reach it.

A camera in the cage recorded how many insects the subjects tried to bite. And guess what? The participants who drank beer were 1.35 times more attractive to mosquitoes than those who didn't. The participants who were attractive to mosquitoes had a few other striking similarities: people who had slept with someone the night before and weren't wearing sunscreen were more attractive to the mosquitoes. People who were wearing sunscreen or had just showered were avoided.

"We discovered that mosquitoes are attracted to people who don't wear sunscreen, drink beer, and share a bed," the researchers wrote. "They simply prefer the hedonists among us," they joke.

We live in a world divided between those who are true mosquito magnets and those who are lucky enough to rarely get bitten. Why this is the case remained a mystery until now. Now we know that mosquitoes have a clear preference for people who drink beer. Attraction also appears to play a significant role. Participants who had successfully lured a fellow human into their tent the previous night also turned out to be more attractive to mosquitoes.

According to the researchers, mosquitoes typically begin their search for blood by detecting the carbon dioxide we exhale. Who they ultimately decide to bite—and how often—probably depends more on individual scents, which can therefore be influenced by blood alcohol concentration.

"Our research shows that a sober lifestyle—avoiding drugs and alcohol, sleeping alone, and regularly using sunscreen—significantly reduces the risk of mosquito bites," they concluded. "You should, of course, enjoy a camping trip or festival as you please, but mosquitoes seem to have a soft spot for people who make less responsible choices."