Decoding the mystery of who mosquitoes target

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Francis Polanco just can’t dodge mosquitoes.

"Sometimes you feel like you're the one getting picked at all the time by mosquitoes,” Polanco said.

There are 80 types of mosquitoes in Florida, but Polanco says there’s one in particular that annoys him.

"Mosquitoes were just getting on me, the ones with the little white stripe,” Polanco said.

But not everyone is fighting off the bugs. Some don’t have to at all.

"Well certainly, some people get bit more than others,” Jim Stark said.

Jim Stark is with the Collier Mosquito Control District. He says the insect mainly likes carbon dioxide. That’s what we breathe out. Some people give off more than others - like after working out or finishing a sport.

Stark says our bodies have other chemicals that may attract mosquitoes. But experts are not sure exactly why.

If mosquitoes happen to call you their best friend, experts say you probably should not walk outside in dark colors. You should wear lighter colors. Also repellent with DEET will also help keep the bugs away. But when it comes down to the wire for mommy mosquito to eat - they will find food.

"In a pinch, she's going to go wherever she can to get that blood meal,” Stark said.

Mosquitoes could also be attracted to people with a certain blood type. Researchers with say people with Type "O" blood type are most likely to be the one's fighting off the insects.

As for Polanco, he just doesn't want it to be him anymore.