What do mosquitoes keep biting me?

Mosquitoes keep biting you due to combination of attractants like carbon dioxide, body heat, sweat chemicals, and blood type that make you more attractive to mosquitoes than others, as mosquitoes have excellent sense of smell and detect hosts from distance. Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide you exhale, larger people and pregnant women exhale more CO2 and are bitten more, and they are attracted to body heat and sweat that contains lactic acid, ammonia, and other chemicals that signal host, with exercise and hot weather increasing attraction due to more sweat and heat. Blood type may play role, some studies suggest mosquitoes prefer type O blood over type A, though evidence mixed. Wearing dark clothing attracts mosquitoes as they use visual cues, and wearing strong perfumes can attract. Some people produce more skin bacteria that produce attractive odors. Standing water near home increases mosquito numbers, as they breed in standing water, so yards with flower pots, tires, and gutters holding water have more mosquitoes. To reduce being bitten, eliminate standing water weekly, use repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, wear light colored long sleeves and pants at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes most active, install screens on windows, use fans outdoors as mosquitoes are weak fliers, and avoid outdoor activity at peak biting times, and consider professional yard treatment if problem severe, as mosquitoes can transmit diseases like West Nile and dengue.