With all this heat, I’m on mosquito duty every night. If I spot one stationed near the bedside lamp or hear it buzzing by, I raise the alarm to my partner – who unfortunately gets bitten to bits. We try to usher it out of the window with a pincer movement, before we resort to the kitchen roll.
I used to think the light’s what’s bringing them in. But lately there’s been an influx, and no changes to our lights, so what’s going on? There is indeed a surge in mosquito levels at this time of year, but it’s more than that. I spoke to Ricky Young, Pest Control Specialist at Youngs Pest Control, who filled me in on the random activity likely causing this problem, and how to control it.
What attracts mosquitoes into our homes?
You’ll likely spot a few mosquitoes hanging around your lights at home, but it’s not the light they’re attracted to. Mosquitoes are primarily attracted to carbon dioxide, body heat, body odour and standing water; anything that provides a meal or helps them to reproduce. So, if you spot them around your home, you’re the predominant attraction!
Mosquito numbers surge over the summer as the heat accelerates their breeding cycle. Even with a dry summer, they just need a small amount of stagnant, standing water to lay eggs; any puddle will do!
That’s why the ‘Bucket of Doom’ is a good trap in any garden.
LaylaBird//Getty Images
What activity makes our homes more attractive to mosquitoes?
So, what do we need to stop doing if we want to avoid a late-night mosquito swarm? The answer is working out.
Ricky says: ‘If you’ve just finished a workout indoors, you can unintentionally make yourself far more noticeable to any mosquitoes nearby. Mosquitoes don’t actually detect humans by sight first – they primarily use their senses to detect carbon dioxide (CO₂), body heat and odours.’
So those list of attractions we mentioned earlier essentially skyrocket when you work out at home and leave the windows open. It makes sense when you think it through, but how much of a difference can it really make?
‘When you exercise, you breathe out significantly more carbon dioxide’ continues Ricky. ‘Depending on the intensity of your workout, you can produce several times more CO₂ than when you’re resting. Mosquitoes are extremely sensitive to carbon dioxide and use it as one of their main methods for locating a host.
‘Your body temperature also rises. Mosquitoes are attracted to warm bodies because warmth helps them identify a suitable blood meal. You sweat more too, and sweat contains compounds such as lactic acid, ammonia and other skin chemicals that mosquitoes can detect. These scents become even more noticeable after vigorous exercise. Lastly, your skin remains warm and damp afterwards, meaning you may continue attracting mosquitoes even after you’ve stopped exercising.’
So, the reason for the late-night mosquito fest in my bedroom actually comes down to my evening Peloton classes. I don’t have the heart to tell my partner, but at least I know what’s likely causing the problem. As much as I’d love to just stop exercising to fix this, there must be a better solution.
Tim M Lanthier//Getty Images
When should you work out at home?
Ricky says: ‘For most mosquito species found in the UK, dusk and dawn are the busiest feeding periods. If you’re exercising with windows or patio doors open during the early evening in summer, you’re more likely to attract mosquitoes into the property.
‘Mid-morning or early afternoon workouts generally carry a lower risk because many UK mosquito species are less active during the hottest part of the day. However, this can vary depending on the species, weather and whether you’re close to standing water such as ponds, marshes or water butts.’
Of course, exercising during the hottest parts of the day isn’t ideal. You shouldn’t have your windows open at this point anyway as you will likely let more heat into the home. But Ricky does go on to suggest methods of keeping mosquitoes to a minimum, whatever the time of day:
Install fly screens on all open windows and doorsLeave the fan running; mosquitoes are poor flyers and will struggle with the breezeShower immediately after exercising to remove any sweatWear lightly coloured clothing as you exercise; dark clothing is more attractive to mosquitoesRemove any sources of standing water from around the property to prevent breeding, like plant trays and clogged gutters
Ricky concludes: ‘The biggest mistake I see is people throwing open all the windows after an evening workout without thinking about what’s outside. If you’re exercising during summer evenings, good ventilation is important, but using window screens or a fan can dramatically reduce the chances of inviting mosquitoes into your home while still keeping the room comfortable.’