Mosquitoes & Face Masks: Are You Protected?

Does Wearing A Face Mask Protect Against Mosquitoes?

Have you heard that carbon dioxide attracts mosquitoes? It's true. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from a distance. When you wear a mask, it helps to contain CO2 emissions.

If you were at a backyard party and you were the only one wearing a mask, you may have noticed that mosquitoes weren't targeting you as much as other people. If so, you may have shared this on social media. But, if you saw a post on social media and you didn't experience this yourself, you should be aware that you might not get the same results. Here are a few reasons why:

• All masks do not work equally to hold CO2 inside.
• Carbon dioxide isn't the only way mosquitoes can find you. They're attracted to heat, sweat, and the scent of chemicals on your skin.
• While wearing an effective mask can make you less of a target while in a group, it will do little to nothing to protect you if you're alone.

The bottom line is that wearing a mask will never give you complete protection against mosquito bites. It is also important to point out that mosquito repellent and products that promise to keep mosquitoes away from your yard, will also not work to give you 100 percent protection from mosquito bites. The solution isn't to repel mosquitoes but to rid your yard of mosquitoes.

Why Having Mosquitoes Around Your Home Is A Big Problem

When you have a party in your backyard, the carbon dioxide from you and your guests can lure mosquitoes into your yard but there are also mosquitoes that already live in your yard. They hide in your landscaping and in other sheltered locations.

If you don't rid your yard of mosquitoes, those mosquitoes will come out and bite you and your guests even if everyone has a mask on. This is the key reason why mosquitoes are a big problem. Most of the mosquitoes that bite you in your yard are mosquitoes that live in your yard. They can come out of hiding and get to you in seconds. They don't need a plume of carbon dioxide to find you and your guests.

Another reason mosquitoes around your home are a big problem is that female mosquitoes are highly motivated to get a blood meal. They need a blood meal in order to create eggs and reproduce. The drive to reproduce is strong. Many residents turn to torches, candles, and other repellents to keep mosquitoes away. If you use these to keep mosquitoes away from your yard or body, you will be disappointed with the results. Female mosquitoes can put up with many disagreeable smells to get a blood meal.

How Mosquitoes Spread Malaria & Other Dangerous Diseases

It only takes one mosquito bite to catch a virus. Fortunately, most of the mosquitoes that bite you are not infected with a mosquito-borne disease. The diseases carried by mosquitoes must be picked up from an infected animal or human. If a mosquito hatches in your yard and has only come in contact with you, your family, your pets, and any wild animals that have wandered into your yard, the disease risk could be low, depending on where you live.

Another factor to consider is that some diseases carried by mosquitoes are not endemic to the United States. This is to say that these diseases are not found in local animal populations. Malaria, as an example, is the deadliest mosquito-borne disease in the world, but it is not found locally in the Bay Area. Our mosquitoes can only pick it up from travelers returning from abroad. The risk of getting malaria is low but until we live in a world without mosquitoes, this risk is always present.