Mosquitoes absolutely hate me...

It’s actually getting weird; mosquitoes just aren't feeling my vibe. Like, instead of swarming me like they do everyone else, they basically give me a wide berth.
Yesterday I was tracking one: it flies right up, "sniffs" the air around me, and then just drifts off. No bite attempt whatsoever.
I haven't been bitten once all season, even though I'm constantly outside hanging out near the woods.

What could possibly cause these bloodsuckers to act this way?

My bad if I'm posting this in the wrong sub...

dustymarlin10 said:It’s actually kind of wild; mosquitoes just don't seem to like me. To put it another way, instead of swarming me like they do everyone else, they basically give me a wide berth.
Yesterday I was actually tracking one: it flies right up to me, "sniffs" the air, and then just drifts away. It didn't even want to bite.
I haven't been bitten a single time all season, even though I'm constantly outside hanging out near the woods.

What could possibly cause these bloodsuckers to act like this?

If I'm posting this in the wrong sub, my bad...

You’re in the right place, man, definitely...
From what some researchers have said—if I remember correctly, it was a group from the Netherlands—some people carry specific types of bacteria on their skin that produce something that, for lack of a better word, stinks to mosquitoes. And it's strong enough that they just pass on the buffet.
And if my memory serves, they get "annoyed" if there's a high diversity of different bacterial species on your skin. But if one particular type dominates (and there are probably certain preferences there too), they find it much more appealing.
So, there's a real chance you should be thanking your skin bacteria for your "mosquito resistance."

If you feel like "testing" that theory, try taking a really deep scrub with plenty of soap or body wash and then head out feeling freshly clean and totally UNDIRTY (that might actually be the key factor here) and see how the mosquitoes react.

Supposedly, there are also certain foods that "enrich" your sweat with a natural repellent, though I can't quite recall which ones specifically; or certain medical conditions that supposedly "repel" them...

Just a heads-up, since I'm mostly just recalling stuff I read in articles a while back, I should probably take this with a grain of salt.

dustymarlin10 said:It’s actually kind of weird; mosquitoes just don't seem to like me. Instead of biting me like they do everyone else, they just steer clear.
Yesterday I followed one: it flew right up to me, almost like it was "sniffing" me, and then just flew away. No bite.
I haven't had a single bite all year, even though I'm always outside near the woods.

Any idea why these little bloodsuckers would act like this?

Sorry if I'm in the wrong subforum...

Me too, I'm in the same boat! 😁
We were at a local park yesterday and there were huge, nasty mosquitoes everywhere. They bit the kids a few times, but didn't touch me once.
I'm not complaining, 😁 but it would be pretty cool to know why.

Could it maybe be something like anemia? 🤔

velvetmoose9 said:...

Apparently, there’s even talk about certain foods that "fortify" your sweat with some kind of special "repellent," though I can't quite put my finger on which specific foods they're talking about...

garlic (😉 maybe where part of that whole vampire myth comes from?)

...

velvetmoose9 said:You aren't even on the wrong track with that PDF idea...
If my memory serves me right—I think it was some researchers over in the Netherlands—some people just have certain types of bacteria living on their skin that produce stuff mosquitoes absolutely hate. Like, it smells so bad to them they'll just skip out on the buffet entirely.
And if I recall correctly, mosquitoes get "annoyed" when there's a wider variety of bacterial species on your skin. But if one specific type takes over (and apparently they have preferences), then you're basically delicious again.
So yeah, there's a decent chance you actually owe your "mosquito resistance" to the little microbes living on you.

If you feel like playing scientist, try scrubbing yourself raw with plenty of soap or body wash until you're totally clean and—this might be the kicker—completely scentless, then just go offer yourself up to the mosquitoes.

Supposedly, there are certain foods that can "enrich" your sweat with a natural repellent, though I can't quite remember which ones they were; or maybe certain medical conditions that make you unappealing to them...

Just a heads-up, this is all just me trying to recall some articles I read, so take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks for the input.

In bold: the mosquitoes don't care if I'm clean, wearing deodorant, sweaty from working in the garden all day, or drenched after a run... they love me regardless. 🤷

I'm healthy (as far as I know), in pretty good shape, and definitely not anemic... 🤷

Donna Johnson16 said:garlic (😉 part of the vampire myth origin story?
)
...

Well, if that's the case, it doesn't work on me; I barely eat any garlic at all... 🤷

Maybe you’ve got type A blood or something? I heard they’re actually the easiest ones to poke... 🤷

Donna Johnson16 said:Maybe you're an A type? I heard they're the ones who get poked the least. 🤷

So, AB+ blood type... what even is that? Is there actually a club for us, or are we just out here vibing on our own?

It’s kind of funny how they started picking at us more and more over the last couple of years, isn't it?

Not a single one has bitten me all year. 🤷

The other day down by the Mississippi, there were these massive swarms of mosquitoes hovering over everyone—fat little things, seriously, like they were the size of thumbs—and honestly, if you weren't careful, they’d just tear right through you. But me? Not a single one even thought about touching me.

I don't give a damn, honestly, especially when I see them coming for my wife like that.

I just don't get it...

I gotta say, I’m clearly not their favorite person either 😁 Guess there's actually a reason for it. Since my hair issues pop up every few years, I've been taking Plibex (B vitamins). Maybe that's why they won't touch me with a needle 👃

As for blood type, I'm A-, but honestly, regardless of what's in my veins, they knew exactly how to find a vein and stick me anyway.

Donna Johnson16 said:Maybe you have type A blood? I heard they don't get poked as much. 🤷

I'm O positive, so they definitely don't love me! 🙂

I'm not even a huge fan of garlic myself. 😁

maybe I should just round you guys up and study you more closely... might be the only way to actually cook up a decent, high-end repellent ☕

🙂

I step out into my garden, and there’s zero chance I won’t get bitten by something. Even with long sleeves on, they find a way to crawl underneath and—zap. Honestly, at this rate, I should probably just wear a full hazmat suit.

Donna Johnson16 said:maybe you all need to get together and actually study this stuff properly if you want to end up with an effective repellent ☕

🙂

😬

But hey, maybe there's a point to that after all.

Donna Johnson16 said:Maybe you have type A blood? I’ve heard that people with that type get poked the least during blood draws. It’s one of those things you hear floating around, though I can't say I've ever actually verified it myself. Just a thought. 🤷

I’ve got A+ blood, and apparently, that makes me a five-star buffet for mosquitoes. It’s a nightmare. Honestly, they target me more than anyone else I know.

People are sitting there perfectly calm right next to me, while I'm over here absolutely inhaling this food like a maniac. It’s embarrassing, really. 🙂

Mosquitoes absolutely love targeting my legs, especially my feet 🤣
It’s such a struggle during the summer to avoid wearing shorts or sandals, particularly out in the Midwest where there isn't even a hint of a breeze. 🤷
They pretty much leave my arms and the rest of my body alone—it's like maybe one bite on my hands for every twenty they take on my legs 🙄
I honestly have no clue what my blood type is 😳

Donna Johnson16 said:maybe you guys should get together and study this a bit more... that’s how you actually develop a solid, effective repellent ☕

That's a great idea! 👍

It would be pretty funny to see if the mosquitoes go after any of us who they usually skip over because they're looking for "better" targets..

I’m reporting this, and honestly, I’m not feeling it either.
It’s especially bad when my husband is nearby; they just swarm him.
His skin tends to be much more damp than mine.
I barely sweat, and my skin is naturally quite dry.
As for health and getting bitten—my mother was quite sickly during her life, and mosquitoes used to go absolutely crazy for her.😕

briskbison27 said:Reporting them, though they won't touch me either.
Especially when my husband is around, they just go straight for him.
His skin is way more damp than mine, if you know what I mean.
I barely sweat and my skin is pretty much bone dry.
As for the whole health and biting thing—my mom was always sick back in the day, and those mosquitoes used to hunt her down like she was a buffet.😕

Huh. I sweat a ton, yet I'm basically invisible to them? 🤷

I don't know..
that whole theory about bacteria seems like the most realistic scenario to me.

Thank goodness I’ve found a way to mask that scent they're attracted to...
A+, I don't sweat much, and my skin tends to be pretty dry...
I'm not taking any B-complex vitamins...
And I don't eat garlic...

It’s not exactly an original deep dive, but you can definitely read between the lines here. Basically, the whole thing boils down to this idea that having a diverse mix of bacteria on your skin—think of it like a little microbial melting pot—is actually a good thing if you're looking for a natural mosquito repellent. The logic is that the more variety you have, the higher the odds that some random strain will end up pumping out something that keeps the bugs away.

Apparently, people who only carry one single type of bacteria on their skin are basically giant neon signs for mosquitoes.

So, I guess we should probably be looking to dustymarlin10 to see if he can farm some useful bacterial strains from his skin, and honestly, Jeffrey Garcia6 would be pretty useful too, just acting as live bait to draw them all away from us.😁