[Carolyn (OP)]

Bugs love me.  Mosquito's, no seeums, yellow flies......all of these biting bugs swarm on me in the summer months.  I always assumed the bugs were attracted to me because I'm such a sweet treat for them.

My cousin is not bothered by bugs at all.  They never bite her.  My opinion is that she's just not as sweet as me, but she insists it's because her body temperature is lower than the norm.

Last week, right before going out on her deck we checked our temps.  Mine was 98.5 and hers was 97.  Neither of us had on sunscreen or lotion, but were both wearing the same perfume.  The bugs did not bother her, but I was eaten alive!

Is it body temperature or something else that makes me more susceptible to bug bites than her?

[RD]

Ticks prefer hotties (don't we all  []) ...

Ticks can detect heat emitted or carbon dioxide respired from a nearby host.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick

[I suspect people who have lower body temperatures will also produce less carbon dioxide].


Perhaps you smell like a water buffalo ?  [] ...

Positive behavioural responses to host odours were dose-dependent: the water buffalo extract being most active (threshold 0.22 g/mL),
 similar to deer, whereas other host extracts were  10-fold less active.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/mve/2004/00000018/00000004/art00004

[Carolyn (OP)]

What a sweet talker!  You do know how to make a girl feel good! []

Thanks for the info.  I had no idea water buffalo smell so good! []

[RD]

If you were wearing "Chanel No.5" you'd actually smell like the nether regions of a cat ...

Also known to be found in the Chanel No 5 perfume is secretions from the perineal glands of the civet cat. These are a small Asia and African cat. This was used to make the fragrance last longer. Since the World Society for the Protection of Animals felt that harvesting such an ingredient to be cruelty to animals, they began using a synthetic ingredient instead, they began this in 1998.

http://fragrancefragrances.com/chanel-perfume.html

[Carolyn (OP)]

LOL....Nope.  I wear Beautiful and if it has cat pee or secretions from it's perineal glands...or any animal secretions I don't want to know. [xx(]


I also get lots of mosquito and yellow fly bites when I'm not wearing perfume.

[RD]

Apparently no cat pee in "Beautiful" perfume ...

BEAUTIFUL perfume by ESTEE LAUDER was launched in 1985. BEAUTIFUL ESTEE LAUDER is an intensely feminine fragrance infused with lemon, jasmine, tuberose. BEAUTIFUL ESTEE LAUDER is accented with notes of Lilly of the Valley, carnation, and cedarwood.

http://shopping.msn.com/specs/shp/?itemId=149901095,fullDesc=1

It does contain cedarwood which supposedly repels moths.
http://www.pestfreehome.co.uk/woodlore-moth-repellent-cedarwood-products-cedarwood-blocks_details.htm