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Since I can remember, while those around me got bitten, the mosquitoes would leave me alone. Now they suddenly love me. I was in a mosquito rich environment yesterday and have about 15 bites. This is the third time I'm covered in bites in the last couple months. I used to go through the whole summer with maybe 1 bite. What would cause such a change.

Paleo about 2 years. 51 years old, so could there be hormonal things going on?

EDIT: I just counted 29 bites, and they are all itchy and red. Heeeelllppp!

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4 Answers

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The carbon dioxide that you breathe out attracts mosquitoes...

I actually saw a test done that had a researcher position his mouth against a piece of mesh that was being used to substitue the wall of a container, on the other side, hungry mosquitoes. they used a type of scent that the mosquitoes liked to keep them to the other side of the same container and then had the researcher take a deep breath and then breath out normally...they came a running!

It looked like the old Looney Toons when bees gather together and form the giant fist, well it was like that, only these mosquitoes were a giant fist, wielding a knife!

If I can find the clip I'll post it, it's pretty cool in a creepy kinda way.

Truth.

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But can a person change from breathing out very little CO2 to tons of it, and if so, is that a positive change or a negative one? Of course, it could be a completely different factor. – Glither Jul 29 at 8:56
Mosquitoes can smell you from about 50 feet out...unless you can hold your breath permanent...or walk around in full HAZMAT gear? You might just have to Grok this one out and bathe in mud and stay hairy as to use those hairs as mosquitoe detectors! – TruthinessInc Jul 29 at 9:25
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I'm a little curious about what causes mosquitos to bite also. Too sweet, I guess? My sister-in-law said that she doesn't get bit much, as I recall, because of taking B vitamins. I also found this during a Google search that was enlightening. Hope it helps you!

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I heard from a reliable source many years ago that levels of one of the B vitamins (can't remember which) and sugar intake has an effect. My sugar intake was always relatively low, and is now lower, so I can't imagine I'd be very sweet. – Glither Jul 29 at 6:20
IIRC, the B vitamin is thiamin. But as a child I remember joking with my aunt that the reason she was bit so much was that she was so sweet (in disposition--not sure about the rest of her!). – MiMintzer Jul 29 at 15:04
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I have read before that people with a high concentration of cholesterol on their skin attract mosquitoes. (That doesn't mean they have a high total level of cholesterol, it's byproducts from processing or something). Also uric acid, lactic acid. Web MD has an article about it.

My mom is one of those people who gets swarmed by 'em. She'll have like 20 bites from watering the plants for five minutes, and I don't get any all day long.

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Helpful tip that changed my life: 7 or so seconds with a hairdryer on low aimed at the bite will stop the itching. I usually do it until the bite starts becoming a bit painful, then stop. Apparently it works by denaturing the enzymes from the mosquito's saliva.

Boom, mosquito bite itching is gone foreva.

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Rubbing Aspirin into the itchy spots is suppose to help...though I've never tried it...but if you have a ton of Aspirins that aren't going anywhere? – TruthinessInc Jul 29 at 23:46

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