Type O Draws Nearly 2x More Mosquito Landings as CO2 and Heat Raise Bite Risk

Q: Are you attracting mosquitoes simply by wearing red or orange clothing during your evening walk?

Yes—red and orange clothing can make you somewhat more noticeable to mosquitoes during an evening walk, but color is only one part of the picture. Experts say mosquitoes rely mainly on carbon dioxide, body heat and skin chemicals to find people. Those signals matter more than clothing color. People who produce more CO2, have warmer skin, or have certain skin chemistry are generally more attractive to mosquitoes. That said, vision helps mosquitoes once they are activated, especially around dusk. Research cited in the background material shows they are drawn to high-contrast targets and longer wavelengths, including red and orange, and they also tend to prefer darker clothing over light colors. So wearing red or orange may add a visual cue that makes you easier to spot, particularly in low light. But wearing those colors alone is unlikely to be the main reason you get bitten. A person in light clothing who is warm, sweaty or breathing heavily may still attract more mosquitoes than someone in red. If you want to reduce bites, the more effective steps are to avoid peak mosquito hours around sunrise and sunset, wear loose long sleeves and pants, choose lighter-colored clothing when possible, use an EPA-registered repellent such as DEET or picaridin, and stay in breezy areas or near a fan.

2 articles · Updated · HuffPost · Jul 18

A controlled study found mosquitoes landed on people with Type O blood nearly twice as often as on those with Type A, adding evidence that some people are biologically more attractive to bites.
Experts said carbon dioxide is likely the strongest cue: people with higher metabolic rates emit more CO2, while lactic acid on the skin and higher body heat help mosquitoes confirm a target.
Dark clothing, exercise, alcohol, pregnancy and overweight can further increase attraction; one study found even one can of beer raised mosquito risk.
Prevention centers on timing and barriers: mosquitoes peak around sunrise and sunset, while breathable long sleeves and repellents help limit exposure.
A roughly 5% DEET spray can provide about 90 minutes of full protection, experts said, while fans help because mosquitoes struggle in moving air.