RE: [pct-l] Skeeters

["Eric Lee (Office)" <elee@MICROSOFT.com>]

Kevin wrote:

>
	What I'd be most interested to know about, why it is that despite
all attempts to repel mosquitos, how often it happens that one particular
person in the group seems to get specially targetted?   You know what I
mean, they're the one that's continually complaining about getting bit,
while most everyone else kinda shrugs.  .....On a trip to Alaska once my
buddy ate so much garlic that all he kept away was people.   The mosquitos
still loved biting him.  I didn't really do anything and they didn't attack
me like THAT.  (Sometimes I'm the one wearing the invisible bullseye but
not usually....)
>

I think two factors are at work.  One, certain people probably exude a
certain scent or other identifier that makes them easier for mosquitos to
locate.  Two, certain people are more sensitive to mosquito bites than
others, so even though two people may both get bitten ten times, one person
may get ten ichy lumps and the other person may only get one.

My wife and I can go walking outside for ten minutes and she'll come back
into the house and show me half a dozen obvious bites on her legs and arms,
while I barely even saw any mosquitos and have no apparent bites.  We were
standing right next to each other, so while different scents may play a part
I don't think it can explain all of it.  I'll bet I'm just not very
sensitive to mosquito bites and they can snack on me without leaving any
signs, whereas they always leave a calling card on my wife.

That's my completely unscientific and totally subjective opinion, anyway...

Eric
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