What Attracts Mosquitoes and How to Get Rid of Mosquito Bites

What Attracts Mosquitoes and How to Get Rid of Mosquito Bites

If you’ve lived in the Raleigh North Carolina area during the summertime, then you know two things; it can get pretty darn HOT and it’s pretty certain that you will get bitten by mosquitoes.

In our last article, we wrote about how to get rid of mosquitoes in your yard but what do you do if you aren’t in your yard? Since I think knowledge is power, I thought we could arm you with a list of things that catch the attention of mosquitoes.

What attracts mosquitoes

a woman has after a mosquito bite, itchy skin and scratching

I hate getting bit by mosquitoes. How do you get rid of mosquito bites? This itching is driving me crazy.

Carbon Dioxide – the C02 from our breathe and our animal’s breathe helps mosquitoes hone in on their target. For added measure, they can sense carbon dioxide from more than 50 yards away.

Body Heat –  your body heat can tell the mosquito where to bite you. If you have just completed a workout or are over heated, your blood will be closer to the surface of your skin giving the mosquito the perfect place to bite you. This is why it can be a good idea to wear loose clothing that provides full body coverage.

Lactic Acid – mosquitoes can be attracted to lactic acid and people tend to produce more lactic acid when they are exercising. By my count, that’s now two reasons not to exercise outdoors in the summer.

Dark Colors – some mosquitoes use their vision to hunt. If you are wearing dark colored clothes, you will stand out to mosquitoes that are attracted to dark colors. This includes dark foliage.

Estrogen – sorry ladies, it looks like mosquitoes are attracted to you. I guess they know the fairer sex when they smell it.

Standing water – mosquitoes breed in standing or slow moving water.

Since it seems that most of the things that a mosquito is attracted to are related to smell, it would be a good idea to not wear any perfume or cologne and try not to sweat. Oh wait, that’s another reason not to exercise during the summer. Now that you know what can attract mosquitoes, here is…

…Home remedy mosquito repellent

What I am about to share with you is a home remedy for repelling mosquitoes. A friend of mine swears by it. Tie a dryer sheet to your belt loop, the back of your hat, or on your purse strap.  Personally, I haven’t given it a try. I can’t seem to remember to bring a dryer sheet with me when I’m going out.

Since you can’t always control whether a mosquito is going to bite you or not, you may want to know some tips on how to get rid of the itch that comes with getting bit.

How to get rid of mosquito bites

Okay, now that you know what can attract our pesky little friends, let’s see what you can do to get rid of mosquito bites.

  • As soon as you realize you have been bitten by a mosquito, wash the bite area with soap and water and rub a little bit of rubbing alcohol on the mosquito bites. Witch hazel also works just as well as rubbing alcohol.
  • Calamine lotion or an anti-itch cream that contains Hydrocortisone can help reduce the itching caused by mosquito bites too.
  • I’ve heard that baking soda and water is also an effective treatment.

Of course, there numerous ways to get rid of mosquito bites. We hope you enjoy this article and please feel free to share it with friends and family.

While you’re at it…

…if you would like to
have your yard mosquito free
give us a call at

919-825-1209

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