Can Drinking Alcohol Make You More Prone to Mosquito Bites?

Reported by Vogue.

Summer drinking season and mosquito season share an inconvenient overlap, and it turns out that's not entirely a coincidence. An older study linking alcohol consumption to increased mosquito attraction has been recirculating on social media, prompting the obvious question: do we have to sacrifice rosé to stop getting eaten alive at every rooftop gathering?

According to Vogue, the answer is more complicated than "put down the drink." Floyd Shockley, PhD, entomology collections manager at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, clarifies that mosquitoes aren't actually drawn to alcohol itself — they're drawn to the physiological changes that come with drinking it. The three primary attractants are increased body heat, elevated carbon dioxide output, and intensified skin odor. Consuming alcohol triggers all three, which means a cocktail or two effectively turns you into a more upgraded version of whatever you already were to mosquitoes before you started drinking.

Beer Drinkers, Specifically, Should Know This

The study flags beer as the biggest offender among alcohol types — but Shockley pushes back on making that the headline. It's not the alcohol content doing the damage, he explains; it's the carbonation and fermentation that set beer apart from other options. Meanwhile, blood type, diet, and the fragrances in your skincare — factors people frequently blame — actually play a minimal role in why mosquitoes target you. The real culprits are heat, CO2, and sweat. Female mosquitoes, for the record, are the only ones biting; they require blood to fuel egg production, so this is very much a reproductive mission, not a personal vendetta.

As for prevention: Shockley recommends limiting exposed skin during peak mosquito hours — dusk and dawn — and opting for light-colored clothing, since mosquitoes apparently have a preference for darker hues. A portable fan is a surprisingly effective tool, both because it disperses CO2 and sweat and because mosquitoes are weak flyers that struggle to land in a strong breeze. Essential oils like lavender and lemon eucalyptus show some promise, but DEET remains the gold standard — non-negotiable if you're serious about not spending your summer itching.

You don't have to quit drinking to avoid becoming the mosquito magnet at every outdoor event — but pairing your spritz with actual bug spray is no longer optional.

Read the original at Vogue.