# Staff Report on Bugs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [December 25, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235 "2007-12-25T23:15:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Outpits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4bbf92/32.png) [@Outpits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Outpits)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/1 "2007-12-25T23:15:14Z")
This [cite](http://straightdope.com/mailbag/mbugs_in_rain.html) is a great article. Short, but very full of information. Congratulations to the Staff Reporter Doug ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/2 "2007-12-26T09:13:33Z")
Why do mosquitoes pick and choose ?? When I and others sit in a park , they will hover above my head and have a distinct preference for me… noticed this many times :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/3 "2007-12-27T22:10:07Z")
> [@](#): > > mosquitoes hunt by homing in on infrared emissions from warm-blooded prey Bwah? I thought it was carbon dioxide? Did I miss a _Nature_ memo? Frogs can control their body temperature, so presumably they don’t always emit a mammal-type infrared profile. Some mosquitoes [prey](http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/chemistry/pawliszyn/Research/spme_frog_odour.htm) on frogs. If the frog isn’t visible in infrared at the moment a mosquito is looking for a frog to bite, how does the mosquito find it? Thought it was CO2, actually. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/4 "2007-12-27T22:31:52Z")
[QUOTE=indian] Why do mosquitoes pick and choose ?? When I and others sit in a park , they will hover above my head and have a distinct preference for me.. noticed this many times :smack: :smack: [/QUOTE] Not to be overly facetious, but I tend to attribute this to a combination of three distinct factors. Selective perception, experiential familiarity with bug spray (repellents) and perfumes (attractants), and a genetic predisposition toward (or away from) vociferous discussion of the issue. However, if I may speculate: from the article in question: > [@](#): > > mosquitoes hunt by homing in on infrared emissions from warm-blooded prey, and that’s a lot easier to do when the air temperature is cooler than the prey’s body temperature. My experience has been that different people have a pretty wide range of temperature tolerance. Some seem to be constantly shedding or adding layers while others wear the same clothes almost year round. I’m guessing there could be a similar range of infrared emissions from person to person. Some people look like an oversize, multi-colored target with bright, red bulls-eyes covering their bodies and others just don’t put out. Just a WAG. An all around good column, **Doug**. I especially liked the information about the rain beetle. One interesting [fact](http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/inverts/pleo.html) **Doug** left out is that the females do not fly at all. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/5 "2007-12-29T12:20:43Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] Bwah? I thought it was carbon dioxide? Did I miss a _Nature_ memo? Frogs can control their body temperature, so presumably they don’t always emit a mammal-type infrared profile. Some mosquitoes [prey](http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/chemistry/pawliszyn/Research/spme_frog_odour.htm) on frogs. If the frog isn’t visible in infrared at the moment a mosquito is looking for a frog to bite, how does the mosquito find it? Thought it was CO2, actually. [/QUOTE] Actually, they current knowledge is that female mosquitos use at least three different prey detection systems: - they have carbon dioxide receptors - they can detect certain particles present in sweat (4-methylphenol, to name one, although possibly there are others) - finally, close to the victim, they indeed use infrared This is reason why it’s so hard to make 100% effective mosquito traps and repellents. Also note, that there are thousands of different species of mosquitos. You never know what they find appetizing in you 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/6 "2007-12-30T17:51:28Z")
Cool, thanks. 🙂 Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![IAmAMeatPopsicle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@IAmAMeatPopsicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmAMeatPopsicle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staff-report-on-bugs/431235/7 "2008-01-03T15:22:41Z")
I remember hearing somewhere that mosquitos didn’t like the way vitamin B-12 smelled, and if you took a B complex vitamin pill a few hours before going out, that it would work as sort of a repellent. I never tried it myself, and always wondered if there was any proof that it actually worked.