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How to avoid being a mosquito magnet

DETROIT – State health officials are urging everyone to take precautions as the number of mosquitoes testing positive for mosquito-borne illnesses ticks up.

Read: What Michiganders should know about this virus spread through mosquito bites

While the number of Michigan counties with human illness is still small, there are many counties with mosquitoes testing positive or animals who’ve been infected.

We want to be outside and enjoy every moment of summer we have left, but if you feel like you tend to get bit more often than other people, you’re probably right. Some people are more attractive to mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are active at temperatures above 50 degrees but they really thrive above 70 degrees.

A Harvard study found Type-O blood seems to be a mosquito’s preferred blood type -- they get bit twice as much as people with Type-A.

To reduce your mosquito appeal, avoid wearing red, orange and dark colors like black and navy.

Studies suggest mosquitoes see human skin as a strong red-orange hue, while darker colors are more likely to absorb and retain heat -- and heat also attracts mosquitoes.

Alcohol can also be inviting. One study found drinking 12 ounces of beer attracted mosquitoes to land more frequently on the drinker.

Pregnant women also attract about twice as many mosquito bites. They tend to run hot and exhale more than 20% more carbon dioxide than women who aren’t pregnant.

To make your home and yard less inviting, get rid of any standing water. That’s where mosquitoes lay their eggs. Empty out kiddie pools, birdbaths, garbage cans and buckets.

Insect repellents can help. For safety and effectiveness, the EPA recommends repellents containing DEET, picaridin, permethrin, lemon eucalyptus oil or lavender to help keep you bite-free.

Mosquitoes tend to be most active between dusk and dawn, so you really want to pay attention and put on bug spray if you or your kids are going to be out then.

Mosquitoes in Michigan can sometimes still be biting up to Halloween, so we’re definitely not out of the woods yet.


About the Author
Frank McGeorge, MD headshot

Dr. McGeorge can be seen on Local 4 News helping Metro Detroiters with health concerns when he isn't helping save lives in the emergency room at Henry Ford Hospital.

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