British mosquito season hits! Why YOUR holiday could be more affected than others

With rainy and warm weather hitting Britain at the same time, UK mosquitos are emerging and can seriously ruin day trips and holidays.

When a mosquito starts feasting on you, the immune system realises something is going on and produces histamine to combat it. The histamine causes blood vessels in the area to swell, causing a red bump. And when the blood vessels expand, nerves in the area become itchy. Which can drive you nuts when you're trying to relax on the beach.

But why are some people targeted more than others?

There are 33 mosquito species in Britain, with only a handful of these (always female) feeding on humans. It is thought women may be bitten more than men as they often have more bare flesh on show.

But there are lots of factors affecting why one person's holiday could become a mozzie feeding fest more than others.

Larger people could be more susceptible to bites because they burn more fuel and so produce more carbon dioxide, which the insects love.

According to About.com, carbon dioxide, which humans and other animals produce, is" the key signal to mosquitoes that a potential blood meal is nearby". They can detect carbon dioxide from 75ft away, and she flies back and forth through the CO2 plume until she locates her 'victim'.

They're also attracted to smells and sweat. According to babycenter.com, certain substances on the skin's surface or in the breath can attract mosquitoes from as far away as 100 feet.

It reads: "The most alluring scents include lactic acid (which builds up when muscles are working and is released in sweat) and carbon dioxide (which we exhale with each breath and also release in sweat), especially when combined with heat and moisture."

And if you're indulging in a few holiday beverages, you could also be unwittingly attracting mozzies as it increases your body temperature and changes your odour.

Shower-dodgers could also be a target as people with large numbers of skin bacteria are attractive to mosquitoes. Smelly feet and bad body odour contain bacteria, which insects love.

Babycenter.com reports that researchers at the University of Durham found that mosquitos bit pregnant women twice as much as women who weren't expecting.

This may be because mums-to-be exhale more air, including more carbon dioxide, and also have higher body temperatures than other women.

Your blood type can also be a factor. According to the Daily Mail, a Japanese study in 2004 found that mosquitoes landed on people with group O blood twice as much as those with group A. Those with group B were in the middle, and the reason is unknown.

Have you had a holiday ruined by mosquito bites? How did you combat it? Leave a comment below.

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