Mosquitoes are attracted to people for a series of reasons, but one is clearly your blood type. Mosquitoes can from 30 feet away detect the presence of humans through the carbon dioxide being exhaled. As mosquitoes get closer, they pick up on other things, including your blood type. And research has uncovered what blood types mosquitoes like.
The Science of Blood Type Attraction
Attraction by Blood Type
Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (which spread chikungunya virus, dengue fever virus, and dirofilariasis) have an overwhelming preference for Type O blood, according to a study conducted at Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University.
| Blood Type | Percent Landing |
| B | 56.9 |
| O | 78.5 |
| AB | 48 |
| A | 45.3 |
In the experiment, 64 volunteers put their arms in an aquarium with 35 mosquitoes. The number of mosquitoes that landed on the volunteers was counted every 30 seconds.
Feeding by Blood Type
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (that distribute dengue virus, yellow fever virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus) were also found to prefer Type O blood, in a study conducted at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in Sri Lanka.
Some 300 female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (females being the ones that require blood) were placed in cages with an artificial feeder and the different blood types. The mosquitoes were gathered and the blood extracted to determine the type ingested.
How Can a Mosquito Sense Your Blood Type?
Mosquitoes have an advanced sense of smell, and can use it to pick up the scent of your blood type if you are a secretor; that is, if your body includes your blood type in the body fluids that will sit on the skin. About 80% of humans are secretors.
Being a non-secretor keeps you from attracting mosquitoes, but those secretions provide a bit of protection against other elements found in the environment.
What About Blood Attracts Mosquitoes?
The neurons in a mosquito’s stylet (the part of the proboscis that penetrates human skin in mosquito bites) go after glucose, salt, sodium bicarbonate, and adenosine triphosphate in blood when all four ingredients are present, according to a study conducted by Rockefeller University. If any are missing, the mosquito doesn’t feed.
Glucose is available in nectar, too, but the other ingredients are available only in blood.
What Else Attracts Mosquitoes?
Unfortunately for humans, blood type is not the only way female mosquitoes seek out their next blood meal. There are a host of other mosquito attractants that come into play.
| Attractant | Source | Comment |
| Carbon dioxide | From people exhaling | Mosquitoes can smell it from 30 feet away. |
| Size | The bigger you are, the more carbon dioxide you give off. | It is why adults attract more mosquitoes than children. |
| Exercise | The lactic acid and heat you build up when you work out. | Mosquitoes need to be close to detect lactic acid. |
| Genetics | Lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia in sweat | It is given off naturally as part of your metabolic rate. |
| Body heat | Mosquitoes are attracted to it. | Even if you don’t work out |
| Skin bacteria | It occurs naturally. | It is why they go after feet; there is more bacteria there. |
| Pregnancy | Pregnant women give off more carbon dioxide and have higher body temperature. | Pregnant women attract twice as many mosquitoes. |
| Beer | No one is sure why. | Even a single can affects mosquito attraction. |
| Color | Dark clothing | Darker colors in a light background make it easier for mosquitoes to find you. |
FAQs
What about Blood Type B?
There are websites that report mosquitoes have a major preference for Type B human blood. But that was based on a major study of Anopheles stephensi that was published in 2021 but retracted six months later when authors came to question the data.
What Blood Types Are Most Common?
- Type O is the most common blood type in America, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.
- Type B blood is most common in China and India.
- Type A blood is most common among Eskimos.
Are Culex Mosquitoes Spreading Into America?
While Culex mosquitoes, which infect with West Nile Virus, seem to prefer to feed on birds, they also go after humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Culex mosquitoes are native to Africa, Asia, and Europe, but have spread into the U.S., starting in the South. They need blood for their fecundity.
What Are the Differences in Blood Types?
| Blood type | Antigens (protein molecules) | Antibodies (protective proteins) |
| A | A | Anti-B |
| B | B | Anti-A |
| O | None | Anti-A and Anti-B |
| AB | A and B | None |
A Call to Action
Mosquitoes may be little more than a nuisance, but there are some that transmit diseases that can be deadly. If you see, or feel, mosquitoes, take action. Decide what you want to do, then act.
You can take on mosquitoes as a do-it-yourself project, making it a point to clean up the places where they congregate, or leave this job to the pros. To find a mosquito service near you, contact Pest Gnome to connect you with a professional.
Main Image Credit: nechaev-kon / Canva Pro / License
