Mosquitoes like some people more than others. Scientists in the USA found that different body smells attract mosquitoes. This includes our natural body odour and smells from soaps. Some of these smells could reduce the number of bites we get in the summer. The researchers said mosquitoes preferred soap with a flowery smell. More than 60 per cent of the smells coming from our body come from soap. Changing the soap we use could stop us being attractive to mosquitoes. Soap with no smell could make us less tasty to mosquitoes.
The researchers tested four popular brands of soap on mosquitoes. They also tested the smell of people when they did not wash themselves. The researchers put the soapy and unwashed smells in two different cups in a cage full of mosquitoes. The insects preferred the soapy smells. Mosquitoes are like humans because they like flowery and fruity smells. One researcher said coconut-scented soap is best to keep mosquitoes away. Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest creatures. The diseases they carry kill 725,000 people a year.
Try the same news story at these levels:
Mosquitoes - Level 0, Mosquitoes - Level 1 or Mosquitoes - Level 3
Sources- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/06/07/why-do-mosquito-bites-itch/70268596007/
- https://www.indiatoday.in/health/story/are-you-a-mosquito-magnet-it-could-be-your-soap-2392070-2023-06-12
- https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/scented-soaps-can-attract-or-repel-mosquitoes-research-finds/3051062/
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