American scientists have found that carbon dioxide emitted by human body, lactic acid in sweat, perfume, hair oil and deodorant are all the objects favored by mosquitoes. According to local media reports, Ullrich Beunier, a chemical expert from the US Department of Agriculture, and others are conducting a study to find out which of more than 0/000 chemicals on human skin surface will "attract" mosquitoes, so as to develop an effective mosquito killer.
In Gainesville, Florida, bernier found that carbon dioxide emitted by human body, lactic acid in sweat, perfume, hair oil and deodorant all attract mosquitoes, and wearing black clothes also attracts mosquitoes. In addition, bernier also found that some chemicals on the surface of human skin are aggressive to mosquitoes, but bernier did not specify what they are. Because everyone's body odor is different, mosquito bites vary from person to person. In addition, mosquitoes themselves have their own "likes and dislikes". Bernier and others are currently studying this.
Some people think that eating yeast, garlic or vitamin B 12 to brew beer can avoid mosquito bites, but researchers say that these indigenous methods are actually of little use. Bernier pointed out that specific foods to avoid mosquito bites need special research. Keeping the living environment clean and preventing mosquito breeding is the key to prevent mosquito bites.
Male mosquitoes don't suck blood, they only suck the juice of plants, so they generally don't enter the house. Only when it gets cold in autumn will it run indoors to avoid the cold. Blood-sucking mosquitoes are all females. Blood-sucking is to increase nutrition and reproduce. When they are full, they will find a place with water to lay their eggs.
Generally, it starts to be dispatched in May and reaches the peak in the middle and late August. When the climate gets cold in autumn and the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, they will stop breeding, go into hibernation without food, and come out after waking up the next spring. Their favorite temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius, which is unbearable. Their living and breeding environment must have water, so groundwater, stinking ditches, sewers, cans thrown away by people, mineral water bottles and so on are their ideal homes.
Scientists' research shows that mosquitoes bite people selectively, and those who can bring mosquitoes rich cholesterol and vitamin B are most favored by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find the object that suits their "appetite" best from the crowd. Cholesterol and vitamin B are essential nutrients for the survival of annoying insects such as mosquitoes, and they cannot produce these substances by themselves.
Mosquitoes have a strong sense of smell. When humans exhale carbon dioxide and other smells, these smells will spread in the air. These smells are like the bell for dinner, telling mosquitoes that a good meal is just around the corner. When a mosquito tracks a target, it always twists and turns with the smell of people's breath until it touches the target and then falls on the skin, patiently looking for a "breakthrough". Finally, directly insert the "needle tube" into the skin to suck blood for 8- 10 seconds.
Most cosmetics contain stearic acid (a fatty acid), so people who wear makeup are more popular with mosquitoes than those who don't wear makeup. As for a person's cholesterol level, it will not affect the judgment of mosquitoes unless there is enough cholesterol stored near the epidermis. Of course, there are also some odors that mosquitoes hate, such as bay leaves, citronella oil, citronella, garlic and geraniol.
Another study shows that pregnant women are 1 times more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes than non-pregnant women. Researchers believe that women's breath during pregnancy contains many different chemicals, which makes them the target of Anopheles mosquitoes. In addition, pregnant women have higher body temperature and sweat more, which is a good base for skin bacteria to breed. These two reasons make pregnant women more vulnerable to mosquito bites than other women.
Among them, the popularity index of "blood type theory" is quite high. When interviewing Professor Xu, director of the Insect Toxicology Research Office of South China Agricultural University, the reporter with type A blood was besieged by experimental mosquitoes raised in the research office, and eight or nine big "red envelopes" were harvested in one hour, while Professor Xu with type O blood was unscathed. This seems to confirm the conclusions of "blood type theory" and "sex theory"
However, Professor Xu pointed out that who mosquitoes love to bite is not directly related to blood type, sex and sexiness, but mainly depends on the human body's ability to send "signals" to mosquitoes. Strong "signals" transmitted through the air can guide them to find food easily.
Wearing dark twill jeans is easy to bite.
For mosquitoes, carbon dioxide and sweat emitted by human body are effective information to guide them to find prey. It mainly relies on the olfactory organs, that is, a pair of horns on the head, to perceive the "information" of the human body in the air and follow it. Don't underestimate a mosquito only one centimeter long. It has a strong search ability, and the farthest search distance can reach 60 kilometers. In this range, the stronger the "signal", the easier it is to be locked by them.
People who emit more carbon dioxide, because of the relatively high concentration of carbon dioxide around them, present a clearer "image" in the mosquito's field of vision, which is convenient for mosquitoes to track directionally. Therefore, in a group, people with large lung capacity, fat people and people with heavy breathing are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes, and pregnant women exhale more carbon dioxide because of their active metabolism.
Sweat emitted by human body volatilizes in the air, which can also send a "signal" to mosquitoes. Usually, people who sweat a lot and sweat easily are more vulnerable to mosquito attacks, which is enough to explain why we often find several big "red envelopes" on our bodies after exercise. Mosquitoes love to bite people with rough skin and large pores, usually because such people often have developed sweat glands or secrete more secretions such as sweat. So sometimes men attract mosquitoes more than women, and young people attract mosquitoes more than old people.
Some studies have found that women especially "recruit" mosquitoes during menstruation or pregnancy, which may be related to the high level of sex hormone secretion, so that "mosquitoes like to bite sexy people." Professor Xu pointed out that this is actually because women's endocrine changes at the above stage, their metabolism is accelerated, and their perspiration is often more, which has a stronger stimulating and guiding effect on mosquitoes. By the same token, teenagers in their developmental stages are also easy to "recruit" mosquitoes.
One data shows that the breath exhaled by pregnant women before labor is 2 1% larger than that of non-pregnant women, and the exhaled moist gas and carbon dioxide are quite attractive to mosquitoes. In addition, compared with non-pregnant women, the abdominal temperature of pregnant women is 0.7 times higher, and the higher the body temperature, the more volatile substances on the skin surface.
Improper dressing will attract mosquitoes. It turns out that mosquitoes are afraid of light but don't like it too dark. They like to suck blood in low light. During the day, people wear dark clothes, and the reflected light is dark, just to their liking. In addition, mosquitoes like to bite people with higher body temperature, and dark clothes have strong heat absorption ability. Several factors are superimposed together, which naturally makes the mosquito attraction index of dark clothes soar. People often think that black clothes are the most attractive to mosquitoes, but according to Professor Xu, wearing dark twill jeans is actually the most vulnerable to mosquito bites.
Perfume hair gel cream provokes mosquitoes
If you wear too much, you will be bitten by mosquitoes. Using cosmetics with floral fragrance, such as perfume, hair gel, face cream and fire cream, will increase the chance of being bitten by mosquitoes. Some people think that most cosmetics contain chemicals that can attract mosquitoes. Therefore, women who wear makeup are more sought after by mosquitoes than women who face the sky. Don't use soap and shower gel with strong fragrance when bathing in summer.
However, not all scents attract mosquitoes, such as citronella oil and eucalyptus oil, but they are all good mosquito repellent.
Don't use mosquito repellent with sunscreen.
For people who are easily bitten by mosquitoes, mosquito repellent is like a lifesaver. But how can we maximize the efficacy of mosquito repellent? Professor Xu reminded that mosquito repellent should not be mixed with perfume such as sunscreen. Because the main components of mosquito repellent water are mosquito repellent amine and alcohol, the mixed use will reduce or even completely offset the mosquito repellent effect.
Some women are afraid of being bitten by mosquitoes and sunburn, so they simply apply mosquito repellent and sunscreen before going out every day. This not only reduces the mosquito repellent effect, but also makes the ingredients more prone to chemical reactions in hot weather, causing skin inflammation.
If conditions permit, it is recommended to use the electric mosquito repellent incense device, which is a sanitary and relatively safe mosquito killing tool. As long as it is placed on wooden floors, walls, tables and chairs that should not be touched at night, it is not easy to overheat and spontaneously ignite, and it can be connected to the power supply. There are many models of electric mosquito-repellent incense in the general market, which can be consulted and purchased according to family needs.