News: Mosquitoes like it when you drink beer

It seems that with the hot weather, the bugs have arrived. This past holiday weekend left me covered in mosquito bites, and apparently, the fact that I enjoyed a cold beer outside on Canada Day could have made me more attractive to the tiny blood-suckers. I’ve heard of mosquitoes being attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale, but beer?

A study, led by scientists at the IRD Research Centre in Montpellier, France, found the insect to be 15 percent more likely to fly towards humans after they had consumed a pint or two of beer. It’s hoped that the study’s findings could be used to help prevent malaria’a disease spread by mosquitoes.

According to an article from the Daily Mail, it’s the odour and breath changes caused by alcohol that mosquitoes are attracted to.

Researchers also suggested that mosquitoes could be associating the odour of beer with humans being less likely to swat them away. Could mosquitoes be this smart? I guess it’s true that I may not notice the bugs as much after enjoying a few beers with friends.

While we’re fortunate that malaria is generally not a health threat in Canada, it’s interesting to note that certain drinks may make us bigger targets to insect bites.

Do mosquitoes ever prevent you from fully enjoying the outdoors? How do you keep from getting eaten alive?

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‘ Natural home remedies: Insect and spider bites
‘ Reader tested: Bug repellents