What mosquitoes are most attracted to in human body odor is revealed

NEW YORK, NY (CNN) — Anyone who has spent a summer evening swatting away mosquitoes, or a summer day scratching mosquito bites, can agree: Mosquitoes stink.

But the smells produced by humans are an important part of what draws mosquitoes to us.

In a scientific report published Friday, scientists helped pinpoint the different chemicals in body odor that attract these insects by building an ice-rink size testing arena and pumping in the scents of different people.

Mosquitoes are part of the fly family, and most of the time, they feed on nectar.

However, females preparing to produce eggs need a meal with extra protein: blood.

Best-case scenario, getting bitten will just leave you with an itchy red bump. But mosquito bites often turn deadly, thanks to parasites and viruses the insects transmit.

Researchers found what many who have been on a picnic would attest to: Some people attract more mosquitoes than others.

What’s more, chemical analyses revealed the odor-causing substances behind the mosquitoes’ attraction, or lack thereof.

The mosquitoes were most attracted to airborne carboxylic acids, including butyric acid, a compound present in “stinky” cheeses such as Limburger.

These carboxylic acids are produced by bacteria on human skin and tend not to be noticeable to us.

While carboxylic acids attracted the mosquitoes, the insects seemed to be deterred by another chemical called eucalyptol, which is present in plants.

The researchers suspected that one sample with a high eucalyptol concentration might have been related to the diet of one of the participants.

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