Why Mosquitos Bite

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

To the mosquito some people’s sweat simply smells better than others because of the proportions of the carbon dioxide, octenol and other compounds that make up body odour. It is those people who are most likely to be bitten.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/08/30/scimozzie130.xml

[k4kyv]

Now, if they just could come up with something that would block the body's allergic response to poison ivy.  I mean a systemic agent, not another lotion.

[WA3VJB]

My advice is to cut back on the cabbage.

Octenol (1-octen-3-ol)* is a naturally occurring by-product that comes from plants and some animals, (pheromone and kairomone) such as oxen and cows, that ingest large amounts of vegetable matter.

http://www.elitedeals.com/momaocbiinat.html

[WD8BIL]

We got a vege here at work who will not go outside early morning or late evening.
He says the 'skeeters eat him up.

Must be something to that cabbage thingee !!

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

That would be nice. There is a product out there, but I've never tried it.

http://www.ivyblock.com/ivyblock.php

Now, if they just could come up with something that would block the body's allergic response to poison ivy.  I mean a systemic agent, not another lotion.

[K9ACT]

I have a friend who is totally immune to both poison ivy and mosquitoes.  Neither have any after effect.  He rubs poison ivy on his arms and face and nothing happens.

I, on the other hand can not expose my arms to more than seconds of direct sunlight or they start itching like crazy from a poison ivy exposure over 10 years ago.  I now wear only long sleeve shirts when there is any chance of being in the sun.

I am also interested in the octenol comments.  I thought this was something dreamed up by the folks who made the Mosquito Magnet.

We purchased one this year and I am now emptying the bag about every 4 days.  The out of doors is uninhabitable these days.  For the first time in my life I am looking forward to the first killing frost.

BTW, I am weighing and keeping the dead mosquitoes in a one gallon pickle jar.  It's already  full and I have to keep compressing them to get more in.  When I get to a million, I will put a label on the jar and display it in our museum.  As of yesterday, my best estimate is about 750,000 based on 5000 per gram.

Impressive as this is, it's like emptying a river with a bucket.

I want my Summer back.

js

 

[WA3VJB]

I heard it somewhere recently (maybe on here?) that natives of Japan are immune to the effects of poison ivy.

As a comparatively homogeneous society, over the generations, an epidermal immunity has built up because there's apparently a related plant growing widespread throughout Japan.

Yet, the resistance disappears in the offspring of a Japanese who has mixed with any outsiders.