Apparently it is still mosquito season in Brevard and surrounding areas. I absolutely hate it but it is true.

Two weeks ago I got a nasty spider bite. I was anticipating amputation of my lower leg because it lasted a loooonnnngggg time.

Good news. It is almost gone over 2 weeks later. I won’t share the pictures because that’s just gross.

This morning I woke up to about 15 mosquito bites in various parts of my body.

DON”T THEY KNOW I HAVE A WEDDING COMING UP?????????

I am livid, And itchy. Very itchy.

My mosquito bites stay small for the first couple of days and then swell to gigantic proportions.

I may be exaggerating a bit but suffice it to say I am not happy about this latest development.

They have until the 21st to disappear. Fingers crossed.

And here are a few must know facts about my least favorite pest that I have shared in the past.

  I did a little searching and came up with some facts from 

TreeHugger.com.  An article on their website offers several reasons why mosquitos in particular are attracted to some and not others.
Did you know that mosquitos are highly visual?  That means they can target their victims.  They prefer dark colors like black, dark blue and red.  Note to self: wear light colored clothing.
Apparently mosquitos prefer certain blood types with type O being the favored of female mosquitos who rely on the protein in  blood to help with egg production.  However I suspect I fall into the category of 85% of folks who are “secreters” .  We send out secretions that are a signal of our blood type to the mosquitos so regardless they zero in on us even if we aren’t O blood types.  Just call me secreter I guess.  Ugh.
Mosquitos can detect gas.  No….not THAT kind of gas.  Carbon dioxide.  When we exhale we are VERY attractive to the pests. According to TreeHugger.com they can detect it up to 160 feet away.
Mosquitos also can smell things like lactic acid, urea and ammonia which are present in our sweat.  They love it.  When we sweat they zero in so maybe the best advice to avoid bites is to not sweat?
Types of bacteria that is found on the skin can attract mosquitos as well. In my case I guess my ankles are ripe with bacteria.  That really grosses me out but I guess I need to practice even better hygiene to avoid the ankle biters.
In one study it was found that mosquitos were more attracted to pregnant women.  While that is not the case in my life (whew) there was also a link to warmth of the body.  With all of the lovely hot flashes that I experience I suspect this might be yet another nail in my coffin when it comes to mosquito bites.
Finally another attractor that does not apply to me is the consumption of beer. Apparently the insects like to sample blood from beer drinking folks.  There is no evidence that was cited that really explained this phenomenon but still it exists. (Read the complete article here.)

You will recognize me as the welt covered woman the next time you see me. And I am not the least bit happy about it. Tell me your mosquito bite stories in the comments – make me laugh because I need a good laugh right now. Remember all comments go for our Comments for a Cause – Donors Choose.