Can I Get a Mosquito Bite Through My Clothes? It's Possible!

Posted by Mosquito Squad

January 23, 2020

If you’ve ever come home after a night out covered in mosquito bites despite wearing clothing head to toe, you’ve probably wondered: Do mosquitoes bite through clothes, and how?

They do. And as blood-thirsty creatures, they’ll make the effort to get what they need!

So how do you protect yourself if clothing won’t help? Learn more about tips and tricks you can try to prevent bites and make it harder for mosquitoes to reach your skin!

First, How do Mosquitoes Bite Through Clothes?

A mosquito’s proboscis contains six needles that can penetrate through skin and material. So, unless you’re wearing a suit of armor, it’s likely a mosquito can reach your skin.

Although mosquitoes are much more likely to bite exposed skin where they have direct access, they’ll still attempt to bite through clothing if necessary. Often, they’re successful.

What Clothes Can Mosquitoes Bite Through?

Unfortunately, mosquitoes can pierce through most types of clothing. This is especially true for clothing that’s close fitting to the body (because it’s a shorter distance to your skin).

Although it’s less than ideal to rely on clothing alone to protect you from mosquito bites, there are some fabrics to avoid and some that offer you better protection:

Most protection:

Denim
Wool
Nylon
Velvet
Corduroy

Least protection:

Spandex
Gauze
Light cotton
Linen
Polyester

Can Mosquitoes Bite Through Jeans?

Frustratingly, yes. Denim is still a penetrable material for mosquitoes. However, depending on the quality, thickness, and tightness of the denim you’re wearing, you may have more protection.

Loose-fitting denim offers you much more protection against mosquito bites, whereas a tighter fit, or denim jeans made in combination with other, thinner materials will not.

Can Mosquitoes Bite Through Socks and Shoes?

Most sock material is very thin and breathable, making it easy for mosquitoes to pierce through. However, there are also “insect repellent” socks coated in a safe, chemical repellent and made of thicker material to protect your feet and ankles from mosquitoes and other insects.

Most shoes protect against mosquito bites, as they’re typically made of thick canvas, leather, suede, or rubber. But other shoes, like breathable athletic polyester or nylon shoes, will be more possible for mosquitoes to penetrate.

The best way to fully protect your feet and ankles from mosquitoes is with a combination of thick, insect-repellent socks and boots or tall leather, canvas, or rubber shoes.

What Clothes Can Mosquitoes Not Bite Through?

Unfortunately, there’s no widely used mosquito protection clothing. However, more recently researchers at North Carolina State University have created mosquito-resistant clothing using textile materials they confirmed to be bite-proof in experiments with live mosquitoes.

This clothing isn’t currently available to the consumer, though. So, it will still be some time before we have available mosquito-proof clothing. In the meantime, there are still other ways to combat the bite.

How to Dress to Avoid Mosquito Bites

The best preventable clothing to wear against mosquito bites is loose-fitting. This type of clothing is far enough from the skin that it doesn’t allow the mosquito’s proboscis to penetrate the skin. Wear full-length trousers or a skirt or dress and remember to cover your feet and ankles.

In addition to this, tightly woven fabric will offer you the best protection; the same goes for thicker fabric. Corduroy isn’t ideal clothing during the warmer months, but the tightly knitted material is less penetrable for the mosquito.

The thicker, the better. If you can’t bear to wear thick materials, another way to prevent mosquito bites is to mist your clothes with an insect repellent containing 15-35 percent DEET, 30 percent lemon eucalyptus, or 20 percent picaridin.

If a mosquito has bitten you, check out how to treat mosquito bites to ease that irritating itch.

Other Ways to Prevent Mosquito Bites

Most of the time, clothing isn’t enough. Other ways to protect yourself from mosquito bites include:

Using insect repellant (see above for most effective types, and re-apply as instructed).
Always apply repellant last.
Covering your location with mosquito netting.
Avoid wearing dark colors like black and navy, as well as vibrant reds or oranges.
Preventing them from laying eggs by removing or cleaning out items that hold water outside.
Controlling the amount and spread of mosquitoes on your property with professional mosquito barrier treatment.

Get the Ultimate Protection: Professional Mosquito Treatment

Unfortunately, mosquitoes are a large part of our ecosystem, and preventing bites isn’t as simple as wearing even the best protective clothing! Get the ultimate protection from mosquitoes by keeping them off your property in the first place with Mosquito Squad’s signature mosquito Protective Barrier Treatment.