Have you noticed that you get more mosquito bites on your feet and ankles than anywhere else on your body? This may not be not a coincidence. According to Alan Brown, Board Certified Entomologist and Technical Director at ABC Home & Commercial Services, there may be many reasons why mosquitoes bite feet and ankles more than other areas, including:
- The skin around your feet and ankles are exposed
- There’s less wind and airflow around your feet
- Certain bacterias found on feet can attract mosquitoes
First, mosquitoes bite exposed skin, and when the weather warms up and mosquitoes come out, ankles and feet are often exposed. Your feet may also be exposed, depending on what kind of shoes you wear while outside. Unlike skin covered by clothing, exposed skin is easy for mosquitoes to access.
Next, mosquitoes are not great fliers, and staying low to the ground can help them stay out of wind gusts or nearby fans. This would make your ankles and feet a great target.
There’s a particular mosquito species, the Aedes mosquitoes, that are notorious for biting ankles. They’re often referred to as “ankle biters.” Unlike most mosquito species, the Aedes mosquitoes bite during the day. Other mosquito species are primarily active at dawn and dusk and seek shelter from the sun during the day.
Unfortunately, Aedes mosquitoes specifically target human ankles and feet. Female mosquitoes are responsible for biting and feeding on blood, as they require the protein found in blood to develop their eggs.
Mosquitoes May Be Attracted to Foot Bacteria
There’s another reason that mosquitoes bite feet and ankles more than other parts of the body. Studies show that these pests may be attracted to bacteria on the feet. Human bacteria produce specific odors, and research has found that foot bacteria produce an odor that mosquitoes are drawn to.
How to Prevent Mosquito Bites Around Your Feet and Ankles
The good news is that you can take measures to prevent mosquitoes from biting your feet and ankles.
Covering your feet and ankles is the easiest and most effective way to protect them. Wear socks that cover your ankles and closed-toed shoes that protect your feet during mosquito season in Texas.
Next, you can apply an insect repellent spray. For the best results, use a product with DEET, picaridin, lemon oil or eucalyptus oil.
Keep your feet clean to reduce the odor your foot bacteria produces. Wash them with soap in the shower regularly.
Finally, you can limit the number of mosquitoes on your property by eliminating standing water. Mosquitoes lay their eggs on the water’s surface, so standing water can quickly become a mosquito breeding ground. Clogged gutters, bird baths and pet water bowls can attract these pests.
If you have a mosquito problem on your property, contact a pest control service. Mosquitoes can multiply rapidly, so it’s important to stay on top of an infestation. Do not hesitate to contact a professional.
Why Are Mosquito Bites Worse On Feet?
Another interesting difference about mosquito bites on feet is that they can hurt more than mosquito bites on other parts of your body. Why is that?
The answer has to do with the unique characteristics of the skin on your feet. For instance, there is a higher concentration of sweat glands and nerve endings on the feet. This can make mosquito bites more noticeable and painful.
When mosquitoes bite your skin, they inject their saliva into you. The saliva acts as a numbing agent, which helps mosquitos take a blood meal from you without you noticing. What do mosquitoes do with blood? Female mosquitoes must feed on blood to develop eggs.
Mosquito saliva can trigger an immune response that leads to inflammation and itching. Since the feet and ankles have more nerve endings, the immune response can be amplified, which makes some people more uncomfortable.
Mosquitoes may also be more attracted to the feet and ankles than they are to other parts of the body. Multiple mosquito bites in one concentrated area can become uncomfortable.
How do you deal with mosquito bites on your feet or ankles? The first thing you should do is wash the area with soap and water to prevent an infection. Next, you can apply a cold compress to prevent swelling. The cold will also help numb the itching sensation.
Along with treating your bites, you should deal with the source of the problem: the mosquitoes. If you have a mosquito infestation on your property, you need to work with a pest control service to control it. Mosquitoes are hard to control on your own because you have to treat the entire population, including the eggs and larvae, not just the adults.
An expert has the right tools and experience needed to find where the mosquitoes are laying eggs and control them. This will stop the population from growing and save your feet.
How Long Do Mosquito Bites Last On Feet?
Mosquito bites on feet may take longer to heal and entirely go away than bites on other parts of your skin. The reason is that your feet are constantly in movement and the bites can get irritated by your shoes and socks.
However, it’s important to note that everyone reacts differently to mosquito bites. Typically, you can expect mosquito bites on your feet to go away after about three to seven days.
There are a few other reasons why mosquito bites on feet may last longer. First, enclosing them in shoes and socks traps them in heat and moisture, which can make the inflammation worse.
A person’s feet have more sweat glands and nerve endings than other parts of the body, which makes them more irritating than bites in other areas. Because of this, it’s more tempting to scratch itchy mosquito bites on the feet.
Mosquito bites usually appear as small, red, swollen bumps on the skin. You may experience itching as well.
Avoid scratching your feet when you have mosquito bites, and keep them clean and dry to prevent bacteria from growing and making the bites worse. Use the methods mentioned above to help with mosquito bites.
However, if they continue to get worse or you have an extreme allergic reaction to them, seek medical attention.
How to Deter Mosquitoes From Your Home
If you’re constantly dealing with mosquito bites on your feet, ankles or other areas, you likely have an infestation in your home or on your property. It’s crucial that you take steps to deter these pests to help reduce the problem.
The first thing you should do is eliminate standing water around your home as this is where mosquitoes breed and lay eggs.
Install screens on your doors and windows to prevent mosquitos from entering your home. Running fans on your porches and patios can also make it harder for them to access your home as they are weak fliers.
Finally, when you spend time outside, use a mosquito repellent on your skin. You can also avoid the times of day when they are most active, which is at dusk and dawn.
The best approach to controlling mosquitoes on your property is to work with a pest control specialist. They can not only take care of the mosquito population on your property but also put prevention methods in place to deter them from returning.
ABC Can Help With Your Mosquito Problem
Between the numerous diseases that mosquitoes can transmit and the itchiness of mosquito bites, it’s understandable to want as few of these pests on your property as possible. With the help of the mosquito control specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services, your home and yard can be a safe haven from these pests. We’ll put measures in place to halt the mosquitoes’ reproductive cycle, as well as eliminate adult mosquitoes and offer you advice on how to make your home less appealing to these annoying pests.
