Every summer, the same refrain: the little high-pitched buzz of mosquitoes and then uncontrollable itching.

To protect themselves as well as possible, and relieve the sting when it is too late, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed lavished on Thursday some advice to listeners in Europe 1.

Mosquito season is once again open.

How to protect yourself from it, why some get stung more than others, and how to relieve an itchy sting?

On Europe 1, Thursday, Doctor Jimmy Mohamed takes stock of one of the only small disappointments that makes us fear the hot season.

>> Find Jimmy Mohamed's column every morning at 8:37 am on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Attracted by our scent, not by the light

Misconceptions are tough, but no, there is no point in turning off the light so as not to be bitten by mosquitoes.

Indeed, they locate themselves with their sense of smell and will inevitably detect the carbon dioxide that we emit when we breathe.

Thanks to their radar system, they are able to locate us at 30 meters and are guided to us by following our body odor, our breath, our perspiration and even our urine.

The composition of our skin microbiota is therefore decisive in the bites because of the bacteria present and which will make us secrete certain pheromones.

So no, we are not all equal when it comes to mosquitoes.

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Baking soda and soothing creams to relieve

How to recognize a mosquito bite, a spider bite?

It's simple: a mosquito stings, a spider bites.

On a mosquito bite, therefore, we will only see a single small dot with a single hole, whereas with a spider there will be two, corresponding to the bite.

However, distinguishing between the two is irrelevant.

Either way, we'll have a big, itchy pimple. 

To relieve the itching, it is possible to apply a compress of cold water with sodium bicarbonate, which can also be put in the bath.

Soothing creams are also sold in pharmacies.

The mosquito net, the best means of protection

As the saying goes, "prevention is better than cure", so how do you avoid the bite? There are many protections against mosquitoes for this, but not all of them are effective. And you have to be careful to distinguish between repellents and insecticides. Repellents will repel mosquitoes, while insecticides will kill them. These are essentially in the form of a spray with different products such as "Deet" which is the most effective, but also in the form of plant extracts such as lemongrass, or even essential oils.

Devices can also be used: mosquito repellent bracelets, ultrasound devices, citronella candles ... But as far as they are concerned, their effectiveness has not really been proven. The best means of protection remains the mosquito net, formidably effective and almost romantic.