Festival season is here—and apparently, mosquitoes got tickets too.
If you have ever been the person in your friend group who ends a summer concert covered in large, itchy welts while everyone else goes home bite-free, you are not imagining things. Some people really are mosquito magnets.
A new study, aptly titled “Blood, Sweat, and Beers,” set out to uncover what makes certain humans irresistible to mosquitoes. But instead of a sterile lab or a rainforest expedition, this experiment took place at one of the Netherlands’ biggest music festivals; Lowlands, a three-day party with 65,000 attendees, questionable hygiene and plenty of beer. In other words: the perfect breeding ground for this science experiment.
The Experiment: Mosquitoes Meet Music Festival
Researchers from Radboud University built a pop-up lab out of shipping containers at Lowlands 2023, recruiting more than 500 curious festivalgoers to test their “mosquito magnetism”. Each volunteer filled out a questionnaire about hygiene, alcohol use and sleep habits before entering the “mosquito attraction booth.”
Inside, participants pressed their forearms against a transparent acrylic cage housing 20–35 Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes—this is the same species that transmits malaria in Asia. The mosquitoes couldn’t bite, but they could smell, and video cameras tracked how many landed on the arm compared to a sugar feeder on the opposite side.
After the mosquito encounter, participants took a skin swab so researchers could analyze their skin microbiome. This collection of bacteria that lives on human skin and influences body odor would perhaps help identify why the mosquitos choose some humans over others.
The Results: Beer, Bedmates, and Bacteria
Despite the booming bass from nearby stages, mosquitoes showed clear preferences. Some people were simply more attractive to the mosquitos, and certain behaviors increased or decreased that attraction.
Beer Drinkers Beware
Participants who drank beer within the past 12 hours were 35% more attractive to mosquitoes than those who abstained.
The effect continued even after accounting for body temperature and blood alcohol level, suggesting that it’s not just alcohol and is in fact something about beer itself. Scientists posit mosquitoes may be drawn to the unique mix of volatiles or the way alcohol alters body odor.
Sunscreen: Your Unexpected Shield
Festivalgoers who had recently showered and applied sunscreen on their arms were about half as attractive to mosquitoes as those who skipped it.
The researchers suspect sunscreen either masks natural odors or contains compounds that act as mild repellents. However, the effect faded as time since the last shower increased. Perhaps as sweat and natural scents started to come back to the limelight.
Company Attracts Company
Those who admitted to sharing their tent the previous night were also more likely to attract mosquitoes, showing that intimacy might come with an extra cost… itchy mornings. While correlation doesn’t prove causation, the pattern was too strong (and too amusing) to ignore.
Cannabis Curiosity
Mosquitoes appeared somewhat more attracted to participants who had recently smoked cannabis, though the effect weakened after accounting for other factors. Fortunately (or unfortunately), there was no strong evidence that being high makes mosquitoes more attracted to your person.
The Skin Microbiome Connection
The skin swabs revealed some fascinating microbial clues. People most attractive to mosquitoes had slightly higher levels of Streptococcus bacteria on their skin—microbes previously linked to stronger or “sweeter” human odors.
However, overall bacterial diversity didn’t differ much between “mosquito magnets” and “mosquito repellers”. The four most common bacterial genera—Cutibacterium, Corynebacterium, Sphingomonas, and Staphylococcus—were abundant in everyone, consistent with what is typically found on healthy skin.
Given that Corynebacterium and Streptococcus are both associated with human body odor, it’s possible that the combination of natural scent and alcohol-related changes make certain people smell extra appetizing to mosquitoes.
The Takeaway: Mosquitoes Have a Type
While this might not be comforting news for beer lovers, it does offer a few scientifically grounded tips for your next outdoor adventure:
- Skip the beer (or don’t, but prepare for bites).
- Apply sunscreen—it might double as mosquito armor.
- Maybe sleep solo.
Ultimately, the study’s tongue-in-cheek conclusion says it best: mosquitoes have a taste for hedonists. Whether you’re the life of the festival or the designated driver, your microbiome and behavior might be what’s drawing the buzz.
Note: This study had several limitations. While it was larger in scale than most of the previous studies on mosquito attraction, the lack of a controlled environment makes it difficult to directly compare findings. In addition, the participant pool was not an accurate cross-section of society, as it was limited to festivalgoers who chose to participate during specific hours of data collection.
References
- Blanken, S.L. et al. (2025). Blood, sweat, and beers: Investigating mosquito biting preferences amidst noise and intoxication in a cross-sectional cohort study at a large music festival. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.21.671470
Latest posts by Shannon Sindermann (see all)
- Do Mosquitoes Have a Taste for Beer? - October 16, 2025
- Exploring How NEAT1 Shapes Granulosa Cell Function - September 18, 2025
- Why mRNA Transfection Is Transforming Transient Expression Workflows - August 19, 2025
