Fruits that attract mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are notorious for their itchy and irritating bites, and understanding their dietary preferences can help us minimise our encounters with these pesky insects.

As you might know, we’re all about the natural way to avoid mosquito and insect bites.

While many factors influence mosquito attraction, including body heat, sweat and carbon dioxide emissions, the foods we consume can also play a role.

Fruits That Attract Mosquitoes

• Bananas: A 2018 study found that eating bananas can make you more attractive to mosquitoes! That's why when you eat a banana outdoors, it's not uncommon to find yourself surrounded by mosquitoes shortly thereafter.
• Mangoes: Mangoes, emit a sweet and enticing aroma that certain mosquitoes find irresistible. In fact, mango juice is used as a bait in a type of mosquito trap used to help control the species of mosquito known to transmit malaria.
• Avocadoes: Many people claim that because avocados are high in potassium, consuming them will make you more attractive to mosquitoes. This is yet to be verified by any studies so for now, we're going to keep enjoying our smashed avo!
• Apples: The sweet scent of ripe apples can draw mosquitoes in and there are reports of apples being used as a food source for mosquitoes kept in labs.
• Citrus Fruits: Surprisingly, citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes are not typically attractive to mosquitoes. In fact, some studies suggest that the strong scent of citrus can be a repellent to mosquitos.Citrus fruits contain compounds like limonene, which may have mosquito repelling properties.

Mosquitos primarily feed on plant nectar and flower nectar to obtain the sugars and carbohydrates they need for energy which is why sweet scents can be attractive to them. Female mosquitoes only require blood meals for egg development.

Here are some tips for avoiding being one of the victims of that pesky female mosquito!