Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: EvaH on 02/12/2020 15:40:40
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Neo asks:
I seem to be able to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. They seem only to get me if they bump into me. I would be around people getting bitten but nothing happens to me. I have a dark complexion but even darker people than me get bitten. How can I prove this is true or false?
What do you think?
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Mosquitoes are attracted by smells, so it could be that they are just not all that interested in your smell.
Speaking for myself, while I don't notice that they ignore me, I have no reaction to them after being bitten. No welt, no itching.
This wasn't always the case. Growing up in Northern MN, I got my share of bites and resultant itching. I think all those bites in my youth caused me to build up a tolerance to them.
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Mosquitoes are attracted by smells, so it could be that they are just not all that interested in your smell.
Speaking for myself, while I don't notice that they ignore me, I have no reaction to them after being bitten. No welt, no itching.
This wasn't always the case. Growing up in Northern MN, I got my share of bites and resultant itching. I think all those bites in my youth caused me to build up a tolerance to them.
Don't mosquitoes "want" to bite as many people as they can? Wouldn't this goal would be better achieved, if mosquitoes evolved to make their bites, not irritating and unpleasant to people, but nice, and enjoyable.
Suppose the mosquitoes did that. Made their delicate skin- bites pleasant to humans. Then wouldn't humans welcome mosquitoes as a source of pleasure. Instead of swatting them, trying to ward them off by putting up mosquito nets, and spraying cans of insecticide at them.
I mean, looking at it from a mosquito's point of view, surely you don't want to annoy your hosts, ie humans.
Rather, shouldn't you ingratiate yourself with your human hosts. And so win their co-operation in multiplying your mosquito genes?
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Mosquitoes are attracted by smells, so it could be that they are just not all that interested in your smell.
Speaking for myself, while I don't notice that they ignore me, I have no reaction to them after being bitten. No welt, no itching.
This wasn't always the case. Growing up in Northern MN, I got my share of bites and resultant itching. I think all those bites in my youth caused me to build up a tolerance to them.
Don't mosquitoes "want" to bite as many people as they can? Wouldn't this goal would be better achieved, if mosquitoes evolved to make their bites, not irritating and unpleasant to people, but nice, and enjoyable.
Suppose the mosquitoes did that. Made their delicate skin- bites pleasant to humans. Then wouldn't humans welcome mosquitoes as a source of pleasure. Instead of swatting them, trying to ward them off by putting up mosquito nets, and spraying cans of insecticide at them.
I mean, looking at it from a mosquito's point of view, surely you don't want to annoy your hosts, ie humans.
Rather, shouldn't you ingratiate yourself with your human hosts. And so win their co-operation in multiplying your mosquito genes?
The reason the bites welt and itch is that the mosquitoes have to inject a serum to thin the blood enough for them to draw it. Your body detects this as a foreign substance and sends it defenses to action. The reason the reaction (as it did in my case), lessens over time is that your body, begins to learn to ignore this foreign substance, as it is not any real threat to the body.