Picture this: you’ve woken up during your first night on holiday somewhere hot. While you were sleeping you had started to itch at a small, hot mark on your shoulder. As you wake yourself up with your scratching, the mark blooms and swells to quadruple the size, resembling a continent. Before long it’s taking everything in your power to not rip your own arm off to relieve the constant, throbbing itch. You eventually fall asleep again but when you wake in the morning and putter into the kitchen you can still sense this angry, swollen beast on your shoulder. Another has popped up, under your elbow and, weirdly, on your forehead. But by the coffee machine, looking well-rested, is your friend who shared your room. As you lament the onslaught from mosquitoes, your friend looks at you, shrugs, and says: “I don’t really get bitten – you must just be delicious to them.”
Mosquito bites can be a major irritation – and in certain regions of the world, raises the risk of tropical diseases such as Zika virus and malaria. If you are such a person who has been dealing with these massively itchy, verging on painful annoyances on your summer holidays – or indeed at home in the UK – you’ve probably asked yourself more than once: “Why me?!”
“The question about why some people get bitten more than others has been asked for as long as people have not only been studying mosquitoes, but being bitten by them,” explains Heather Ferguson from The Royal Entomological Society, a professor of infectious disease ecology at the University of Glasgow. “Today we have some clues why it happens, but we don’t have the entire picture figured out.”
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WORLD NEWS
Putin has a sinister new plan. We should all be worried
Caption: A firefighter works at a compound of a warehouse hit by an overnight missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 11, 2026. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv city/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. DO NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
Photographer: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAI
Provider: via REUTERS
Source: Handout
The last month has seen the fiercest exchange of missile attacks between Russia and Ukraine in more than four years of war.
But the fighting is in dynamic impasse, with a huge amount of killing and damage on either side with little to show for it. Russia now looks to be trying to shake that up.
What has changed?
In the past week, Vladimir Putin has urged new field commanders to get the job done to seize the whole of Donetsk by the end of the year.
Lithuania warned a few days ago intelligence services thought Russia could try to provoke allies in the region in the next few weeks. This points to a dangerous new phase of the war.
Caption: KRAMATORSK, UKRAINE – AUGUST 04: Firefighters extinguish a fire involving a vehicle and a building following a Russian airstrike in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on August 04, 2026. (Photo by Francisco Richart/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Photographer: Anadolu
Provider: Anadolu via Getty Images
Source: Anadolu
Caption: Firefighters work at a compound of a warehouse hit by an overnight missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 11, 2026. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv city/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. DO NOT OBSCURE LOGO.
Photographer: STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAI
Provider: via REUTERS
Source: Handout
The sinister new plan
Russia is using three lines of attack to break the will of Ukraine: to bring misery, a lack of power and utilities with the onset of winter and to grind down the forces on the front line.
The new military appointments and exhortations suggest Putin intends to intensify ground attacks in Ukraine.
Caption: In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service and taken Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, a damaged road caused by regular shelling is seen in the frontline town of Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP)
Photographer: Iryna Rybakova
Provider: Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized brigad
Source: Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized brigad
Analysis
4 min read
What does this mean for Ukraine?
The numbers look bleak for Ukraine going into the winter.
The trashing of its cities, including the targeting of filling stations, aims at depriving Ukrainians of heat and comfort, and even adequate food.
Ukraine is fighting back hard, but the next phase of the war could stretch it to breaking point.
Caption: People watching a total solar eclipse at the Civic Centre, Reading, 11th August 1999. (Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Photographer: Mirrorpix
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Mirrorpix
ECLIPSE
Why you shouldn’t use your 1999 solar eclipse glasses
With a rare partial solar eclipse later today, many are casting their minds back to the last major eclipse over the UK before the turn of the century.
But experts have warned people not to re-use glasses bought for the astronomical event 27 years ago.
What you need to know
Many parts of the country will experience more than 90 per cent coverage of the Sun.
Depending on your location, it will occur between 6.15pm and 8pm. People in the south-west of England are likely to get the most coverage. For the best view, it is a good idea to head to high ground.
Save Britain’s Rivers
2 min read
When will this happen again?
There has been a last-minute rush for eclipse glasses, as many high street shops and online retailers have sold out.
The next total solar eclipse over the UK will not happen until 2090.
OPINION
3 min read
ARTS
5 min read
Put the old glasses away
Caption: The sun polarised through a pair of Celestron solar eclipse glasses at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, south east London, ahead of the Solar eclipse on August 12, which will be the first total solar eclipse visible over mainland Europe since 1999. A partial eclipse should be visible from the UK, with around 90% of the Sun covered. Picture date: Friday August 7, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
Photographer: Jordan Pettitt
Provider: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
Source: PA
Only specialist glasses that are ISO 12312-1 certified should be used, experts said.
People should only use glasses that are undamaged and no more than a decade old.
TRAVEL
5 min read
How solo working is driving rising hours spent alone
Working from home and other solitary working habits are a bigger driver of loneliness than screen time, research suggests.
Caption: Rear view of woman having a video call meeting with business team on desktop computer while working remotely from home
Photographer: NickyLloyd
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
What you need to know
The Resolution Foundation made the findings by analysing UK Time Use Survey.
It found the average number of people doing paid work alone has nearly tripled in under a decade.
Working from home accounted for roughly two-thirds of the rise in work done alone.
The research found that “paid work is the biggest driver of rising time alone among working-age people”.
Parth Pandya, researcher at the Resolution Foundation, said: “If policy makers are serious about improving young people’s wellbeing, then work needs to be part of the debate as much as screen time.”
The story in numbers
15%
Among 18 to 69-year-olds, the average proportion of people who were doing paid work alone in the standard working day increased from five per cent in 2014 up to 15 per cent in 2023.
90 minutes
The biggest change was among men aged 18-29, who spent an additional 90 minutes working alone each day.
This means they spend more than two-fifths of the hours they are awake alone.
What does this mean?
‘Some people might think it is dishonest of me to spend my work time on my personal pursuits,’ says Charlotte (Photo: Getty/iStockphoto)
The research said: “It is more solo working, rather than screen time, that has driven the rise in reported time alone.
“Despite likely under-reporting of screen time, time alone for young people is still up. So, something else must be driving it – and the diary data points to a sharp rise in solo working.”
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Three
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
Millennials
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
Gen X
Daisy, 56
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
Anna, 52
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
Mimi, 46
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
Boomers
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Caption: A married couple sitting in silence, looking in opposite directions. The image captures the concept of female loneliness within a marriage, emotional disconnection, and relationship problems. Symbolizes quiet desperation and isolation at home
Photographer: Galina Zhigalova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Seven rules to save your marriage
(Photo: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty).
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Therapists
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty).
Listen
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
‘One question is how to achieve such a longevity hack when most of us have relationships that unsettle us,’ says Dr Amir Levine (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
‘I’m genuinely considering returning to full-time work’ (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty Images)
Caption: A senior couple spend time in an indoor sunny market. The woman looks through a clothes on a rail as her husband waits patiently behind her.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
There are things that all mid-life men should know about keeping their hearts healthy.
From eating more purple fruit to avoiding large bowls of pasta, consultant cardiologist Dr Zoe Astroulakis [below] shares her simple lifestyle habits she wishes her patients would take on board.
Positive changes to make
Swap ‘bad’ fats for healthy ones
You don’t need to eat a fat-free diet; the key is to reduce your saturated fat. Reduce your dairy and swap your red meat for lean meat such as chicken and oily fish.
Shoppers are set to face spiralling food bills as a result of the war in Iran (Photo: Bet_Noire/Getty)
Caption: man eating fried chicken
Photographer: Prapass Pulsub
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Control your portions
You don’t need more carbohydrates in a meal than you can fit in your hand. Enormous plates of pasta can cause blood sugar spikes, which can lead to health problems.
Positive changes to make
Supermarkets report increasing demand for blueberries (Photo: RHS/Guy Harrop)
Look for purple
Blueberries, black grapes and aubergines are great for boosting “good” cholesterol.
Have oats
Porridge is one of the healthiest breakfast options because it’s full of soluble fibre.
Swap supermarket-bought cereals for wholemeal oats (Photo: Arx0nt/Getty)
Ketamine has become an increasingly mainstream drug used in clubs and festivals in recent years (Photo: Getty)
Stop taking cocaine
It can provoke a massive heart attack, even in younger people who don’t have existing artery problems.
Stay below the alcohol limit
‘She doesn’t really like me drinking and says that I smell after a night out with friends’ (Photo: Getty)
The NHS guidelines of 14 units per week is still more than 1,000 additional calories.
The safest level to aim for is zero.
If you’re drinking, make sure you have some alcohol-free days each week and space it out.
Interview
5 min read
Positive changes to make
Do cardio too
Don’t only focus on lifting weights. It might make you look toned, but it says nothing about the health of your heart.
Caption: Close-up view of female jogger tying laces of her sport shoes before running exercise routine. Motivation, healthy lifestyle and fitness concept.
Photographer: Xavier Lorenzo
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Home blood pressure monitors are now available to buy for around £20, and are preferred over smart watches due to their more accurate readings (Photo: Getty Images)
Check your levels
You can get free blood pressure checks in many pharmacies or you can buy a monitor for around £30 to use at home.
Avoid night shifts
It disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm and can lead to increased cholesterol.
Engineers from a Thames Water leak hunting team unloads equipment from their van during a night shift in London in 2022 (Photo: Getty)
A sign to look out for
A beer belly is a sign you need to make urgent changes
Caption: glasses of Real ale beer on bar in traditional English pub
Photographer: Peter Cade
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Photodisc
It’s usually a sign you’re drinking too much. By the time your belly starts to bulge, it’s a sign that you’re consuming excess calories and storing too much fat internally.
LIFESTYLE
3 min read
Want a new career but worried it’s too late?
Mid-life is not too late to start again, says experienced recruiter Elizabeth Willetts [below].
Here, Willetts shares the best jobs to switch to during midlife if you want a change – without sacrificing pay.
Changing careers in your fifties
Mid-life career pivots can lead to higher earnings.
7.4%
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, workers aged 45 to 54 who voluntarily pivot jobs see an average wage growth of 7.4 per cent.
3.5%
And those aged 55 to 64 still see a 3.5 per
cent increase.
The AARP Global Employee Survey also found that over half of workers who changed jobs voluntarily experienced improvements in work flexibility and mental health.
So what job options are there?
Virtual assistant
As a virtual assistant your workload will be very varied and it could be anything from tidying inboxes, booking travel, sending invoices or updating spreadsheets.
More and more people are using AI for counselling (Photo: Oscar Wong/Getty/Moment RF)
Confident successful Indian female HR recruitment manager holding resume in hands while having an interview in a modern office, looking and listening to job candidate. Friendly interview between HR female director and caucasian job candidate. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
You can start out earning around £20 to £35 an hour, but it can scale into agency work, launch support or even project management. Some earn very well.
Recruitment
Male candidate handshake with the recruiter at job interview – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
What it involves
You will source, screen and interview candidates to match them with the right job roles.
Who it’s for
You don’t need any qualifications but it’s suited to communicators and commercially-minded people.
Rearview female recruitment reading and checking resume in hands interviewing and hiring woman candidate for joи near laptop in office with glass windows – stock photo. (Photo: Olga Rolenko/ Getty)
From April 2027, retirement savings will be included when the tax bill for those inheriting money is calculated (Photo: Malte Mueller/Getty)
The pay
The salary van vary from £25 to £50k, but you can earn around £100k depending on commission.
Jobs to switch to in your fifties
Some estate agents give high valuations to drum up business (Photo: Monkey Business Images/Getty/iStockphoto)
Estate agent
It offers flexible hours and weekend staff can earn £15 per hour.
Training
This form of coaching for businesses could earn around £250 to £1,000 per day.
Caption: portrait of confident senior business man holding digital tablet in modern office
Photographer: zeljkosantrac
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
(Photo: Getty).
Sales
In the lower end, a sales rep can make £30k and on the higher end £50-60k, plus commission.
Why coaching is a good option
Coaching is incredibly varied and can be anything from career coaching, to confidence and leadership coaching.
As it is an unregulated industry, you don’t need qualifications but the more reputable option is the International Coaching Federation.
It’s a great career option for older people because clients genuinely value your wealth of life experience.
It’s flexible, scalable, and you can start doing it part-time alongside another role.
It could make you anything from £200 an hour, all the way up to £500 p/h+.
Even though the NHS Pension scheme is envied by many for its generosity, those working for the NHS facing financial struggles are choosing to opt out (Photo: Getty Images)
Consulting
This can be across HR, operations, marketing, finance, people strategy or project management, as it’s varied.
A huge number of businesses now want expertise without having to hire full-time staff so there is a big job market for freelance consultants.
Price on value, not hours – if your advice saves a client £200k, charging £150 an hour undersells what you’re worth.
Do some foods leave
you feeling hungry rather than satiated? Experts say there are…
Foods that leave you hungrier
A bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice
More refined cereals are digested quickly, and fruit juice, whilst one of your five-a-day, contains less fibre than whole fruit. This might mean you find yourself hungry again within 1-2 hours of eating this breakfast.
No more orange juice. (Photo via pixaby)
It’s estimated ultra processed foods make up at least half of the average UK diet (Photo: Getty)
Swap the orange juice for a whole orange, the cereal for oats and milk or serve it with Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. This would increase the fibre and protein content; two nutrients strongly linked with fullness.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Caption: Gail’s croissant
Image taken from https://gails.com/collections/breakfast/products/croissant
Croissants
These pastries are made primarily from refined flour and butter, and are relatively low in protein and fibre.
Toast and jam
It is mostly carbohydrate and without protein or fibre, it is digested quickly, leaving you feeling hungry.
Caption: Toasted bread and white background
Photographer: Daniel Tamas Mehes
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Copyright: Minden jog fenntartva!
Yakitori’s on the menu at the Japanese restaurant – but what exactly is it? (Photo: Reuters)
Sushi
Shop-bought packs can contain a lot of white rice, which is digested quickly, and the protein content is often modest.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Sarawak laksa is one of many varieties of this noodle soup (Photo: Tham Kee Chuan/Getty)
Vegetable soup
On its own, it is often very low in protein and calories, so hunger can return quickly.
Pizza
Unless it’s loaded with veggies, it’s probably pretty low in fibre.
Best pizza in Britain named – and owner reveals the secret to its success (Photo: James Linsell Clark/SWNS)
The Government has announced that the sugar tax will be extended to milkshakes (Photo: Scott Suchman)
Smoothies
Liquids are generally less filling as they require little chewing which may not trigger satiety signals.
Foods that leave you hungrier
‘Aged 14, I started what I considered to be my own little business selling confectionary,’ writes Beauty Dhlamini (Photo: Getty)
Snack bars
They are ideal for a quick pick-me-up, but if reducing hunger is what you’re after, it’d be better to swap it out.
Low-fat yoghurt
A full-fat plain Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds tends to be much more filling due to the protein, fat and fibre.
Which yoghurts are the best options? (Unsplash)
Caption: BANGKOK, THAILAND – OCTOBER 17: A “KT Herbalist”, a Kratom cocktail made from Kratom, coffee and siamese herbs is seen at Teens of Thailand, a bar in Bangkok’s Chinatown on October 17, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand. In April 2021, the start of Thailand’s third and most deadly wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thai government banned the sale of alcohol in restaurants and bars, crippling the already suffering food and beverage industry. With a lack of government aid and support, some bars have shuttered their doors in hopes of reopening post-lockdown, while others shuttered their doors for good. But six months into Thailand’s most recent lockdown, Niks Anuman-Rajadhon, owner of Teens of Thailand, a gin bar located in a renovated shophouse in Bangkok’s Chinatown, decided that instead of waiting for the government to allow the sale of alcohol again, they would take advantage of Thailand’s recent legalization of Kratom. Kratom is a locally grown herbal drug with mild opioid and stimulant effects and was reclassified from a type-5 narcotic to a legal-to-grow herb in August 2021. While Thailand prepares for a tentative reopening on November 1st, the alcohol ban and curfew are set to continue, leaving business owners questioning if the country can revive its suffering tourism industry. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
Photographer: Lauren DeCicca
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images AsiaPac
Alcohol
On an empty stomach, it can actually increase your appetite.
What to eat instead
Instead of thinking about avoiding foods, think about what you can add to them.
Add beans, lentils or shredded chicken to your vegetable soup and pasta.
Thicken your smoothies with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds and oats.
Apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with berries and hummus with oat biscuits are better snack options than a pre-made snack bar.
Have alcohol alongside a balanced meal containing protein and fibre.
She explains what we currently know about what affects your relative appeal to a mosquito and crucially what we can do about it.
Your genes may play a role
The disparity in mosquito bites is not an imagined problem: there are several factors that seem to coalesce and result in it. “20 per cent of the population get 80 per cent of the exposure. Of course, this doesn’t apply across every insect or every disease, but it’s a general concept that the risk of being exposed to mosquitoes or disease or whatever is rarely spread evenly across the population.”
One of the postulated theories is that your biteability is genetically determined, but there is no established, clear-cut genetic signal at the moment, says Ferguson. She points out that even in genetically linked groups like families, you will see big variations in how often people are being bitten. “It will play a role, but the jury is out on how much genetics contribute to the variation we see”, she adds.
“There is conflicting evidence about blood type too. Blood type is something that has been posited as a reason for a long time, and while some have argued it plays a big role, other studies haven’t completely confirmed that.” In other words, your blood type may play a role but it is not necessarily the whole story or even provably significant yet.
Feeling hot and sweaty
What we do know is that mosquitoes are really attracted to heat and carbon dioxide.
“These are both things that we give off when we breathe and when we live, and we know that people who are bigger often attract more mosquitoes than others,” she says. This is because larger bodies have more mass and living tissue – they will typically produce more heat and require a higher baseline metabolic rate to function at rest. However, this is not inherently a question of your BMI: “If you look at the differences between adults and children, adults will get bitten more. If you are bigger in any way you are simply giving off more heat and a greater CO2 signal.”
This emission of heat intermingles with the chemical cues that our body gives off, as well as our skin microbiome.
“There are a range of different chemical cues that our bodies give off,” Heather says, “including several different ones that we know can play a very big role in mosquito attraction. Octenol, for example.” This is a compound that is formed through the breakdown of fatty acids in the blood which is expelled via our lungs as breath, or through the skin as body odour. It then follows that the more heat you emit, the more you may potentially sweat too, increasing your emissions.
“We also suspect that the skin microbiome, the composition of bacteria that live on your skin, probably plays a big role,” she adds. “This is not disease or dirtiness, but a natural part of people’s physiology.” Your unique microbiome make-up is affected by genes, diet, lifestyle or even personal products that you use, she says. However, “we’re not at the point yet where we can say one food or one soap is better or worse for mosquitoes. If we were, someone would be making a lot of money.”
The expert guide to protecting yourself
Annoyingly, we don’t yet know of any definitive ways we can make ourselves less attractive to mosquitoes – though it’s not for lack of trying.
“People have investigated so many different things,” Heather says. “There’s even one study where someone tried to see if drinking beer would affect it. Unfortunately, I think the researchers just got drunk and didn’t notice anything.”
Instead, Heather recommends sticking to repellents – and only the ones that are tried and true.
“There’s a lot of folk myths around things that repel that are not necessarily true, like if you eat lots of garlic you can keep the mosquitoes away. There is no clear evidence of that – it might just keep other people away.
“Most of the things that actually work you can already access, like Deet at a good chemist. Some people don’t like using it but I wear it if I don’t want to get malaria in Africa,” she adds. This includes brands like Jungle Formula and own brand versions from companies like Boots.
Citronella candles can also play a role, as can wearing protective clothing.
The key thing is to understand what kind of mosquitoes you might be dealing with, which will change depending on where you are.
“Mosquitoes have very specific daily rhythms. The types of mosquitoes that spread malaria in Africa, for example, bite primarily at night during sleeping hours and inside houses. That is why bed nets work.
“But in contrast, there are other mosquitoes that might not necessarily be carrying a disease which we call nuisance biters – they’ll attack you and bother you during the day.
“There’s another group that will specifically bite around dawn and sunset. Hard to say why, might be because it’s cool enough, might be to do with mosquitoes mating. There are certainly a lot of these in Europe.”
The best thing to do is to ensure you’re protected at those times and that you understand the risks of where you’re visiting.
We all get bitten – it’s our reactions that vary
Finally, Heather has an additional caution for all those who think they aren’t tasty to mosquitoes.
“One thing to add is that the people who think they get bitten the most often might not actually be the ones bitten the most often, they might just be the ones more likely to mount an allergic response. Two people might go out and get the same number of bites but only one will have lumpy bumps and itches. That person will know they’ve been bitten and know to wear repellent and take care, while the other might think they are off the hook.
“That is a mistake! When I was living in Kenya for the first time I went weeks without getting tested for malaria because I was sure I hadn’t been bitten by a mosquito. But I had been, I just didn’t notice. You should always assume you might be bitten and always take sensible bite protection.”