Why Mosquitoes Like You, Or Not

There is no scientific evidence that drinking beer keeps mosquitoes away, but does that mean it’s not worth trying? Not at all. Same deal with garlic, which has been proven, at least, to keep other people away. What does keep mosquitoes away? According to researchers at the University of Florida, our genes do, and they also attract mosquitoes. Being thin also seems to dissuade the bugs, as does not being pregnant. And now the news:  A U of Florida news release reports that researchers at the school have found “for the first time, an underlying genetic component to how attractive we are to mosquitoes and this is likely to be caused by genetic control of our body odor.”  The scientists, who conducted a series of trials using 18 identical and 19 non-identical female twins, found that identical twin pairs were more similar in attractiveness to mosquitoes than non-identical twin pairs. The extent to which genes play a part – the level of heritability – in the trait for being attractive or not to mosquitoes was found to be at a similar level (0.83) as that associated with height (0.8) and IQ (0.5-0.8). The Florida scientists also report that pregnant women are more attractive to Anopheles gambiae (the principal malaria vector in Africa) than their non-pregnant counterparts, and people with a greater body mass also appear to be more attractive to mosquitoes and midges. Geezer says stay thin, don’t get pregnant, and give beer a try.