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tyler1128 t1_irkmo2m wrote

It's not taste so much as smell. Mosquitos are attracted to the CO2 we emit, but also more attracted to some people than others. Exactly why this is the case is still being studied, but genetics and lifestyle are likely part of it, as is determines the exact composition of your sweat and body oils. Everyone is slightly different in that regard.

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almostparent t1_irlvsf1 wrote

I read somewhere that's it's because of the amount of hemoglobin in blood. It's more nutritious to them and type O blood has the most hemoglobin out of all the blood types.

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UmdieEcke2 t1_irm3zb3 wrote

But how would a mosquito smell that? Once they pierce the skin to potentially analyse your blood they're already comitted. I would be really surprised if your hemo content correlates with your smell in any appreciable way.

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almostparent t1_irm4hba wrote

Saliva and sweat are super diluted blood, they can smell that on your skin but there's no definitive proof they smell hemoglobin specifically. I found an article on the saliva and sweat and them generally being more attracted to type O blood. I think it smells good to them the way food smells good to us. I have type O blood and I get bit way more than people I'm around with different blood types. Also in my opinion it might have something to do with them being pregnant, when humans get pregnant they crave stuff depending on what vitamins their body needs and sometimes the sense of smell can get hypersensitive I kinda imagine it's the same for other land creatures that are pregnant. https://www.healthline.com/health/mosquito-blood-type#research edit: a word

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[deleted] t1_iruqti6 wrote

[removed]

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almostparent t1_irus8lw wrote

I don't think the level of hemoglobin is exact I just know type O has more than other blood types, maybe you just have more than her like how people are 50%-60% genetically similar to bananas, some people are more banana than others.

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dudemann t1_iruselm wrote

If anything, she's absolutely more bananas than me and since I've never seen mosquitos swarming bananas, that's just going to be my answer from here on out. Thanks.

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onFilm t1_iserfe5 wrote

Does our saliva have blood cells in it? How about our sweat?

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CRABMAN16 t1_irkyg3y wrote

This is the correct answer, it is a combination of bodily emissions that make one person more attractive than another. Anecdotally I have noticed that friends and family that are pregnant get bitten much more than others, no ideas why.

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