Revealed: Why Mosquitoes Bite Some People More Than Others

Mosquito season is in full swing. A lucky few people seem immune to the bites of the pesky insects. Others can’t seem to avoid them.

If you frequently find yourself covered in mosquito bites, while others escape without so much as an itch, you can blame your genes. This is because some people are born to attract mosquitoes.

For British scientists have discovered evidence that some people are simply born to attract mosquitoes.

In experiments done by British Scientists, it was discovered that people’s body smell attracted the insects in different ways – and this was strongly influences by genetics.

The team, led by scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, found that pairs of identical twins – who share 100 per cent of their genes – are equally attractive to mosquitoes.

Non-identical twins, who only share about 50 per cent of their genes, differ in the degree to which they attract the bugs, the scientists found.

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The research, published in the journal PLOS One, provides strong evidence that your chance of being bitten is genetically-driven.

The results show that the trait has a similar link to genes as height and IQ.

The findings build on previous work linking body odour to the chances of being attacked by mosquitoes.

The team – which also included scientists from Nottingham University, Rothamsted Research in Hertforshire, and the University of Florida – think that some individuals produce a natural insect repellent that keeps them safe.

They believe that, with further research, it may be possible to take a pill that encourages the production of this repellent odour.