Last Updated on May 15, 2023 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
This is a myth as the blood sugar content has nothing to do with being of a higher preference. There has been this saying from time to time that mosquitoes prefer sweeter blood, and according to that, diabetics must be their top prey. However, this is no grounds to base a concept on and is a false conclusion. You are safe.
Do Mosquitoes Prefer Diabetic People Over Non-Diabetic?
There is no truth to this saying that mosquitoes are drawn more to diabetic people than non-diabetic people. There have been no records or observations that prove the fact that mosquitoes prefer diabetic blood over non-diabetic.
Your blood sugar composition does not matter for mosquitoes. They are rather attracted to people who tend to have a warmer body temperature or produce more carbon dioxide. Those are a few of the factors that attract more mosquitoes. Recent studies show that diabetics are safer than non-diabetic people when it comes to mosquito bites. The reasoning that supports this is that diabetics tend to produce lesser carbon dioxide because of lower oxygen absorption and reduced circulation in the body due to diabetes.
This may be one reason that diabetic people may be less prone to mosquito bites in a room with other non-diabetic people.
On the other hand, some other factors like higher body temperature due to some medicines or insulin intake can affect how mosquitoes are attracted to you.
The blood sugar level is no determining factor in the vulnerability of an individual to mosquito bites. Your higher-than-regular blood sugars do not affect these vectors.
Moreover, not all mosquitoes bite. Only female mosquitoes bite for human or animal blood to protect their eggs. Female mosquitoes only derive their protein and lipid supplies from human blood to encourage egg production and protection.
Otherwise, their major source of food is from the nectar of the flowers and plant sap. Male mosquitoes do not depend on humans for food.
Let us delve further deep into knowing mosquitoes and their effects.
Do mosquitoes like blood sugar?
As we already discussed in the previous section, mosquitoes have no such preference for blood sugars. They are equally attracted to both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, maybe even lesser drawn to diabetics sometimes.
However, mosquitoes do need sugar for survival, and they search for sugary sources. But the blood sugar of diabetic patients is not what they are looking for. They are drawn to sugar even more than blood.
Mosquitoes derive their sugar supplements from natural sources like nectar from flowers. Mosquitoes are never looking out for sugar content in the blood. They are rather attracted to the carbon dioxide that we exhale.
Therefore, mosquitoes do like the sweetness, but they don’t depend on human or animal blood for that. They look for the sugar solely from flower nectar.
Mosquitoes can sniff carbon dioxide from far away and decide on their prey and attack that. Female mosquitoes employ several senses such as olfactory, visual, as well as thermal senses. They can smell one from 50 meters away, which marks the beginning of their tracking. They can spot prey from 15 meters and then utilize their thermal senses to know about your body’s heat.
Higher carbon dioxide and heat attract mosquitoes to us.
Some patients who are in regular use of insulin can suffer from a higher body temperature than usual. This can make them better prey for mosquitoes.
But on the other hand, your blood sugar levels are not agents because mosquitoes simply aren’t looking for it.
As per some researchers, some blood types may be more prone to getting mosquito bites. Individuals with type O blood are said to be more appealing to mosquitoes. But still, there is not a lot of solid evidence backing it up.
Do bed bugs bite diabetics?
Bed bugs, like mosquitoes, are attracted to carbon dioxide produced by humans and animals. This is one of the determining factors that attract bed bugs to us.
But just as we cleared in the previous section, blood sugar content has nothing to do with being more attractive to insects and bed bugs. Hence, bed bugs bite diabetics just like they would bite any other person.
Diabetic patients and people who do not have diabetes have the same probability of getting bitten by bed bugs. The higher blood sugar levels are not responsible for greater bites and infections.
However, bed bugs are also attracted to people with higher sebum production. Due to diabetes, one might see the consequences of higher sebum production in the body.
If you experience heightened sebum production due to diabetes, you can become an easier target for bed bugs.
Diabetes can alter several functions in the body, and increased sebum production may be one of the many effects. This can also be caused by the medicines that you take for your diabetes management.
Insulin intake may also dictate some of these changes that you can experience. This may increase the possibility of you being bitten by bed bugs.
Some sayings go by claiming that bed bug bites can lead to blood sugar risings. But this is false and with no backed evidence. There might be other misinterpreted reasons behind such claims.
Bed bugs also foster in unclean musty beds and rooms. Therefore it is necessary to keep your places clean to ensure that these bugs do not bother you.
Moreover, one must follow cleanliness as these insect bites can lead to infections, adding to discomfort in the body.
Summer and rainy seasons bring higher chances of bed bugs due to all the added heat, humidity, and dampness. Total care must be taken to ensure ways of prevention and safety from such insects.
We will look at a few ways to treat them as we move further in this article.
Are mosquitoes attracted to sugar?
Well, the answer to this question is – YES. They do like sugar and also need it for their bodies. Mosquitoes even prefer sugar over blood or other food options.
But at the same time, mosquitoes don’t look for sugar in the blood. Therefore, higher blood sugar or not does not matter to mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are not all bloodsuckers. Only the female mosquitoes suck blood, only to get a supply of protein and fats that help develop eggs. Male mosquitoes do not bite us and suck blood.
They look for their sugar supply in nature. Mosquitoes derive sugar from the nectar of flowers. Both the male and female mosquitoes like sugar and need it for their survival.
It might be clear by now that mosquitoes require more sugar than they require blood. Sugar is also an energy-providing supplement for mosquitoes. They need it for their flight as well as basic survival.
Mosquitoes are always looking for sugary meals to support their systems.
They, however, do not derive sugar from our blood. It is only for the nutrients that help them to develop and lay eggs. Therefore, our blood sugars are no criteria for mosquito attraction.
How to treat mosquito and bed bug bites?
Bed bugs and mosquito bites can be very disturbing. Their bites can leave reddish marks and bumps that itch. This is all in all a very irritating feeling and often even painful.
More severe situations include puss formation, bruising, chills, fever, etc.
It is therefore important to learn ways to treat these bites. There are some ways in which you can tackle mosquito and bed bug bites. Let us have a look at some home remedies:
- Treating mosquito bites:
- Apply ice over the bite to calm the tenderness. You can apply it for 10mins, and whenever required afterward.
- You can also wash the area immediately with water and soap to get rid of the mosquito fluids.
- Applying a remedial mixture of water and baking soda can reduce the itching.
- You can also use over-the-counter drugs that help with reducing the itching sensation caused by mosquito bites.
- You can also apply some Aloe Vera gel directly extracted from the plant on the bitten area to calm the inflammation.
- Treating bed bug bites:
- Several creams and ointments can be used to treat bed bug bites.
- Calamine creams are often a solution to treat bed bug bites.
- As for mosquito bites, baking soda, and water paste can lessen the itchy feeling that comes on with bed bug bites.
- Applying a bit of toothpaste to the bite can also have a soothing feeling on the skin as it has menthol.
The effect of the bites usually goes away with time. It may take some hours to some days. However, these are some useful ways of treating the pain or irritation brought on by the bites.
View our References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294394/
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa032655
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2333393616641825
- http://www.foibg.com/ijitk/ijitk-vol03/IJITK03-3.pdf#page=23
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60634-6/fulltext?_eventId=login
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221385871630081X
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8941750
- https://cdm.ucalgary.ca/index.php/jura/article/view/30059
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/20296272
- https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-016-1277-7
