Mosquitoes choose their prey — you — based on a whole bunch of factors. But there's good news: Some of the things that might make you especially attractive to them are things you can actually change. Scientific research has found evidence supporting several reasons why mosquitoes may seek you out.
These studies are often on different kinds of mosquitoes, however, so the actual things attracting them to you may vary depending on which species are nearby. And many of these studies are small, so these are preliminary hypotheses about what might be going on, not ironclad conclusions.
Since — depending on the types of mosquitoes in your area — these little flying beasts can transmit deadly diseases like Zika, malaria, yellow fever, dengue, Chikungunya, and West Nile virus, it would be wise to try to reduce your allure as much as you can. Here are seven things that could make you irresistible to the pests:
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