why do they always bite the same people?

When you see it, it is often already too late. The mosquito is discreet, but it rarely misses its target. Patrick and Chantal had bitter experience of this in the gazebo in their garden. “We’re not going there because we’ll be devoured”they lament. It is the female who bites, and her larvae, which become adults in a few days, never attack randomly. Because we now know that mosquitoes choose their prey.

The ideal target would be a large, athletic, sweaty person or a pregnant woman. Dark clothing and alcohol also attract them. And for good reason, the mosquito seeks out blood that is richest in protein and sugar. Billions of sensors located on the small hairs of its antennae help it detect the best target.

“These sensors will respond to different molecules which will help guide the mosquito.”explains Frédéric Simard, medical entomologist at the Research Institute for Development. “CO2, lactic acid, humidity”the insect can detect everything, the scientist says. Carbon dioxide and our body odors are the first emissions from our body that guide it.