Well, it’s summertime. And with it has come hordes of mosquitoes like I’ve never seen. Those breeding, biting, disease-carrying little varmints have many of us at our wits end.

They’ve had around 30 million years to perfect their skills. They are experts at using their array of sensors to locate people to attack. We’re left on the defensive, endlessly talking about control and protection. Hinterland Who’s Who says there are about 82 species of mosquitoes in Canada and over 2,500 species throughout the world. With optimal water temperatures, the entire cycle from egg to adult can take less than 10 days.

I could do a piece on the pros and cons of fogging, but that would inflame an already irritated public. I did notice portable fogging machines flying off hardware store shelves the other day. It appears people are fed up and taking matters into their own hands.

What gets me is how some of us can swat mosquitoes off our bodies all day while others are untouched and unfazed. It begs the question of whether mosquitoes actually prefer to dine on some people over others.

According to Elizabeth Heubeck in Web MD, the answer is yes. Although specialists haven’t precisely identified what mosquitoes consider a perfect meal, they do have some tentative suggestions. If you’ll forgive the pun, research into the odours and compounds which emanate from humans and attract these critters is just “scratching the surface”.

One area of common agreement among scientists is that genetics is huge factor in one’s susceptibility to mosquito bites. Dr. Jerry Butler from the University of Florida says people with high concentrations of steroids or cholesterol on their skin surface attract mosquitoes.

Uric acid, heat, movement and carbon dioxide are big factors too. Dr. Joe Conlon says any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, especially if it is exhaled from larger people or pregnant women.

Researchers supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council think they might have discovered why some individuals seem to get bitten more than others. A few years ago, student James Logan found that some people give off “masking odours” that prevent mosquitoes from finding them. It is hoped that future studies into this possibility could lead to the development of more effective, naturally occurring repellent.

This research is fine and dandy. We’re still stuck with one of the soggier summers on record. I for one don’t want to spend it wearing long sleeves and pants. I don’t want to worry about how fast I’m moving, how much heat I’m generating or how heavy I’m breathing.

I’ll just buy some stinky repellent and spray myself all over. Maybe I’ll purchase one of those home foggers. (Maybe I already have.) I’m fortunate enough to be able to draw upon several resources to protect myself from mosquitoes, not to mention just staying indoors.

But what if I had no resources? No money. No home.

Can you imagine walking for miles, with bugs constantly swirling around you? Yearning for relief of any kind? Dreaming of shelter? Maybe a bath or a shower?

Can you imagine sleeping outside in this? For some Winnipeggers, it’s a daily reality.

— Larry Updike is the senior communications/advocacy officer for Siloam Mission.

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