Why don't Mosquitos bite me?

[rene123]

Mosquitos and blackflies didn't bother my grandfather at all. They didn't even come near him, but my poor grandmother suffered terribly. One bite and she would swell up. Any fly or mosquito that came into the room would go straight for her. Unfortunately, my grandfather was not very tolerant to other people's weaknesses. I'm about 50-50 when it comes to bugs. Some bites bother me and some don't. Living in a rural village for several years as a child I was bitten many times and I seem to have built up a bit of an immunity.

[dotpoom]

I once heard a Doctor on radio say....All people are bitten by Mosquitoes...only the people that are allergic to them have a reaction.

[dighambara]

Mosquitoes are very sensitive to 'blood issues'. If a person has unpalatable blood, then they will not bite. Sickle Cell Anemia and Thalesemia (sp) are examples, wherin the blood cell is malformed. My wife has very mild Thalesemia. When it flares up - fever, weakness, the mosquitoes will not bite. 99% of the time she feels well and they bite.

[dotpoom]

Also heard it said that the reason certain areas of the body (like the lower legs etc.,) get bitten more often is because those areas have no hair to protect them.

[cardholder]

I haven't trawled through this thread but on a previous one Sheryl recommended B6.

I took a B6 supplement because I used to get a terrible reaction around my ankles.

Now I think I still get bitten but little or no reaction.

[masuk]

What about Thais , they seem to have less problems with mosquito bites than westerners ? Or maybe they are just not complaining ?

Yes, folk living in malarial areas seem to build up a resistance. I was working with about 20 Papua New Guinean staff, and every once in a while, one would appear at work wearing a thick pullover, bloodshot eyes and not looking terribly happy.

I asked what was wrong, and they would usually just shrug and say "I've got Malaria again". No days off, and about 3 days later, they'd be right as rain.

As for me, one bite and 2 weeks later I was totally out. Filled with drugs, a shot in the rear end with dear old quinine, which sends you half deaf for a week. I was on my back for a week, then staggered around for another week before returning to work.

Yes, locals do build up a resistance. And no, there were no recurrences, ever. Thank heavens, as it's like being run over with a truck at 30 minute intervals until the shakes stop some days later.

Believe me, do not take mosquitoes lightly. Kill the little sods!

[partington]

Mosquitoes are very sensitive to 'blood issues'. If a person has unpalatable blood, then they will not bite. Sickle Cell Anemia and Thalesemia (sp) are examples, wherin the blood cell is malformed. My wife has very mild Thalesemia. When it flares up - fever, weakness, the mosquitoes will not bite. 99% of the time she feels well and they bite.

Mosquitoes can't taste blood without biting - they are not telepathic!

This is a confusion (again) between protection from malaria, and protection from mosquito bites.

Sickle cell anemia protects people from catching malaria, because the single cell parasite that causes malaria infects red blood cells. In sickle cell disease the red cells are malformed, and the malaria parasite cannot infect them efficiently, so this gives protection from malaria.

This is why sickle cell disease is so common in the tropics, because even though it makes you ill, it also protects from death from malaria, so it has a survival advantage.

It doesn't have any effect on mosquito bites at all.

[DGIE]

When mosquitoes bite, they want to sip blood. Maybe the mosquitoes think that you have no more blood.

But even though mosquitoes are hungry of blood,there is something they are afraid of,

like many lotions. Your skin may have natural lotion that mosquitoes are afraid of.

So if you want to make business out of your skin, that's nice. I want to buy a slice of it.LOL!

[MyFriend You]

I live in rural North Thailand and I do get bitten but only at certain times (before the sun comes up and just after it goes down) so if I can avoid being outside during these times I'm usually fine. Unfortunately these are my favorite times of the day.

Best time for Malaria is Sun Up - Sun Down is Dengue, you really should spray your clothes with Deet, especially the socks, wastbands cuffs, or if you are a shorts & sandals man like me, screw it - spray it right on the skin and to hell with what the label says. I've had Dengue twice (Asia) and Malaria twice (Africa and Panama)

[MyFriend You]

I haven't trawled through this thread but on a previous one Sheryl recommended B6.

I took a B6 supplement because I used to get a terrible reaction around my ankles.

Now I think I still get bitten but little or no reaction.

Before I went to Jungle school in Panama we were subjected to B-6 shots daily for 10 days before we deployed - bugs didn't bite, they didn't even land on us, just buzzed around, lasteed about four days then we were attacked en mass - started adding the Bug Juice.

Wasn't until we got back to Bragg when they told us not to take so much B-6, its bad for your Liver...................Like I needed elp ruining my liver???

[hawker9000]

I haven't trawled through this thread but on a previous one Sheryl recommended B6.

I took a B6 supplement because I used to get a terrible reaction around my ankles.

Now I think I still get bitten but little or no reaction.

Before I went to Jungle school in Panama we were subjected to B-6 shots daily for 10 days before we deployed - bugs didn't bite, they didn't even land on us, just buzzed around, lasteed about four days then we were attacked en mass - started adding the Bug Juice.

Wasn't until we got back to Bragg when they told us not to take so much B-6, its bad for your Liver...................Like I needed elp ruining my liver???

Excellent point! 'Got to save the liver for other things!

[Tonawatchee]

Three times a week with my morning coffee, I take a single shot of lao kao from a bottle in which Boraphet has been soaking for 6 months. Boraphet is a vine that grows along our fence. It's very bitter tasting and with lao kao, its next to gasoline in flavor, however, In the three years I've been taking it, I've had minimal misquito bites and have been in very good health. I am 66.