Sometimes I think Alabama’s state bird should be the mosquito.

As it turns out, there are two reasons my state, along with every other Southern state, makes a sweet home for this pesky creature. And those reasons just happen to be what many of us love about the South – the warm climate and an abundance of water.

You see, that’s where mosquitoes lay their eggs – in standing water. And our long summers? Well, that’s just more time for those buzzing babies to grow up and suck our blood, my blood.

Every year about this time, I start feeling like Steel Magnolias’ Clairee Belcher, only it’s not “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.” It’s more like, if you don’t want any mosquito bites, come sit by me.

Skeeters love me! And often those around me manage to escape without so much as a nibble while I’m being eaten alive. Why me? I wonder while I scratch. Well, as much as I’d like to think it’s because I’m just so darn sweet, it’s not.

According to Dr. John C. Abbott, an entomologist and Chief Curator & Director of Museum Research and Collections at the University of Alabama, female mosquitos are the only ones that bite, and it’s CO2 that draws them in. It turns out some people emit more CO2 than others, Dr. Abbott says.

Lucky me, I thought while I scratched.

Which made me wonder, just what is it that makes a mosquito bite itch so bad?

READ MORE: The most annoying bugs, ranked

“When a mosquito feeds, it is injecting saliva into you,” Dr. Abbott says. “Our bodies have an immune response which causes the bump and itching.” And some people react to the bug spit more than others, which is why some folks get terrible whelps (me) and some barely even itch.

And if you’re like me, your first instinct might be to kill kill kill every mosquito you see, or feel, as the case may be. You might also be inclined to set up a perimeter of poison around your outdoor space. But hold the DEET a hot minute. Mosquitoes play a big role in our ecology.

“They are a major food source for lots of other animals, including dragonflies and damselflies – my specialty!” says Dr. Abbott. “Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) feed on them both as larvae and adults. Fish will also feed on the larvae and other insects and even birds will feed on adults.”

But even as we sing along, we’re left scratching our heads (and arms and ankles and legs…) and wondering, if we can’t live with ‘em and we can’t live without ‘em, what’s a CO2 secreter to do?

READ MORE: How these Southern bugs got their names

There are a variety of natural substances out there that have varying effectiveness on discouraging mosquitoes, says Dr. Abbott. Some of them are lavender, lemon eucalyptus oil, cinnamon oil and thyme oil.

And there are other things you can try as well.

Remember, that’s mosquito nirvana.

Mosquitoes are attracted to heat, and dark colors absorb heat.

Mosquitoes love feet, ankles, the backs of your knees and neck – all the sweaty, good-smelling parts.

Not only does the breeze blow your CO2 away, mosquitoes have a hard time flying in the wind. Even though their wings beat as much as 1000 times a second (that’s what makes their characteristic whine), they’re just not that strong.

like the Bug Zapper Electric Mosquito Killer. But remember, skeeters are attracted to CO2 more than they are to light.

... cones, coils and candles, but they are mainly effective when the wind isn’t blowing and in very close proximity to the chosen C.

We might love the smell, but lucky for us, mosquitoes don’t.

READ MORE: Plants to repel mosquitoes

... like bats, frogs and fish.

It should be noted, however, that in the last few years, the company changed the formula. But even though jojoba oil has replaced citronella oil, it still seems to work!

In the end, as annoying as they are, mosquitoes are just a fact of life in the South. But this summer, try not to let them be a total buzzkill. And if all else fails, come sit by me.

EDITOR'S NOTE: About that gin and tonic...I wish I could tell you that the quinine in tonic would repel mosquitos. But the fact is that's a myth. Quinine was actually used to treat malaria, not prevent mosquito bites. And even if it did tell those busy bugs to buzz off, the amount in your average mixer is so minute that it would have no effect. But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and have that eight ounces of prevention! I won't tell...

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Summer is (basically) here y'all, and that pretty much guarantees two things are happening somewhere in the South at any given moment.

1. Someone is putting a sprinkle of salt on a juicy, cold slice of watermelon, and 2. Someone else is giving them all kinds of grief for it.

For decades, Southerners have been salting their watermelon and facing criticism for it by those who clearly don't have fully developed tastebuds because adding salt to watermelon isn't just the tastier way to eat -- it's the better way to eat it, and we've got the science to back that.

That's why we felt the need to come to the Southern tradition's defense, and we weren't the only ones. We asked members of The Potluck, the It's a Southern Thing membership program, to vote on what "In Defense Of" article they wanted to see next, and adding salt to watermelon was the overwhelming victor. (If you want to have a say in future topics we cover, you can join The Potluck here.)

So first things first, let's address why Southerners started putting salt on watermelon to begin with -- it tastes better that way. Simple as that. While it might feel counterintuitive, adding salt to something sweet will actually make it taste that much sweeter because it removes any bitter flavors.

The jist of it is, according to food developer and author Barb Stuckey, watermelon has three taste elements, which are sweet, sour and bitter, reports The Huffington Post. By adding salt, you suppress the bitter flavor so that the sweet can reign supreme. Not to mention, the salt activates your salivatory glands, making the watermelon seem that much juicer.

And while the science behind the practice might be new, the act of adding salt to watermelon ain't new at all. In fact, the tradition of adding salt to watermelon in the South can be traced all the way back to the 1930s, when an article in a South Carolina newspaper shared instructions for how to "best prepare watermelon," according to the Post and Courier.

The article instructed readers to "cut the ripe, pink flesh from a good-sized watermelon, put it into a freezing can and pack with salt and ice." See, y'all? Folks have known for more than a century that watermelon is best when salted, and yet we're still here having to defend its practice.

That's why we think those who are still denying that watermelon should be salted (purely out of pride at this point) should just cut their losses and admit defeat. Then sprinkle some salt on a slice of cold watermelon, and enjoy! We promise not to say "I told you so" -- because we'll be too busy enjoying a salted slice ourselves.

Read more "In Defense Of" articles:

In defense of Southern remedies, because Granny knows what she is doing

In defense of fall weddings, because no one should have to sweat their way down the aisle

In defense of Southern superstitions, because sometimes you got to make your own luck

In defense of possums, the cute critter you should want around

"It's not the heat. It's the humidity" is an expression you'll hear no matter what part of the South you're in, and you know why? Because it's true.

While the Southern states are known for getting all kinds of hot during the summer -- and if we're being honest, spring and fall too -- it's not necessarily the rise in temperature that makes walking outside for more than three minutes so unbearable ... it's, well, the humidity.

With that in mind, we took a look back on some of our So True, Y'all videos spotlighting how humidity ruins pretty much everything because if you're going to be stuck in what feels like a humidifier test facility ... but in hell, you might as well have a good laugh about it.

Unless you actually like having bad hair days, sweating the second you step outside and everything around you having a general feeling of sogginess, humidity really, truly is the worst.

Y'all known how we all get excited every year when summer arrives? Why is that again?

It's best to prepare anyone considering a move to the South for life in what feels like a wet inferno -- well, except for that really nice week between hurricanes in October.

There's always that one really great spring day...before the pollen hits, tornado season cranks up and humidity levels go so high it feels like you need gills to breathe outside.

This video proves that no matter how many scarves you buy, PSLs you drink or tiny, adorable pumpkins you decorate with, the South's humidity will still hang around to ruin it.

There are some things you just expect to see when you're at the beach, like people collecting seashells, kids trying their best to boogie board and a whole lot of painful-looking sunburns.

A guy in nothing but American flag swim trunks and cowboy boots isn't likely to make that list, but it probably should if you're headed to a Southern beach.

Everyone knows Southerners like to do things a little differently, and that includes our beach vacations. With that in mind, we decided to ask our followers on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page what the most Southern thing they've seen at the beach is.We got more than a thousand replies, and let's just say some of 'em make the guy in cowboy boots on the beach sound tame.

You can see 29 of the responses below, and you can see all of them on the It's a Southern Thing Facebook page.

"A person wearing a gingham monogrammed swimsuit and monogrammed beach hat with a monogrammed towel and monogrammed tumbler in a monogrammed Bogg bag." -- Holly Harper Dearmon

"Some good ole' country folks in blue jean cut-off bathing suits and Bud Lights in hand, under their tent singing 'Family Tradition' at the top of their lungs. I may or may not have joined in." -- Rebecca Davis Gahring

"Down here in Sarasota, Florida, no beach trip is complete with your very own Tervis Tumbler. Bonus points if it has a University logo on it." -- Jill Renee

"Guy towed his own port-a-john to the beach on his truck! Dropped it right there near the surf!" -- Melinda Williams Lewis

"Floating the cooler full of beer while wading out to a boat for the Cajun Navy rescue during Hurricane Harvey." -- Lisa Slattery

Read more: 25 perfect snacks for the beach

​"Definitely the guy I saw wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat with no shirt in American flag swim trunks." -- Brandi Rakita

"Kids 'rafting' on an upside-down picnic table, trying to paddle it with their hands and feet. It wasn't floating as well as they had hoped, so the kids were sitting on the bottom side of the benches, and were submerged part way up their calves. It looked like they were having a blast." -- Lyle Goodson

"Someone using the inner tube, from a tractor tire, as a float. They had their entire family on it." -- Christy Delaine Long

"My mama shelling peas in a bikini!" -- Angela Reese-Law McCain

"My grandmother’s picnic lunch for a day trip to the beach -- fried chicken, potato salad, pimento cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches, chewies and a cooler full of Cokes." -- Kym Westbury Bresnahan

​"An Auburn and an Alabama family, fully dressed in school spirit wear including matching tattoos, going fist-to-cuff in Gulf Shores on the beach because of the previous year’s Iron Bowl results." -- James Paul Mills Jr.

"A gentleman bringing a full-sized barbecue grill with about 10 coolers using a luggage trolly from the hotel. This happened on South Padre Island, Texas shore." -- Pamela Alphin

"A TV on the beach with an Alabama football game broadcasting." -- Linda Goodwin Coley

Read more: Woman finds snake on beach chair during vacation

​"Went to Myrtle Beach during senior week and saw a bunch of guys who had made a pool in the back of their truck with a tarp." -- Sailor Hugbell

"The Flora-Bama Lounge and their annual mullet toss." -- Chris Whitfield Jones

"A family wearing matching seersucker swimsuits." -- Marissa Hooverman Dove

"A couple of guys split their last beer. One drank out of the bottle while the other drank out of their snorkel face mask." -- Coley Waight

Read more: 20 things you need for your beach trip

"An older gentleman floating out in the ocean took his false teeth out and washed them off in the ocean water!" -- Anita Ring

"Back in the late '40s, and early '50s, my daddy and his buddies went to Myrtle Beach for an overnight trip. They couldn’t find a place to stay so they slept on the beach and had to burn their underwear to keep the mosquitoes away." -- Anne Jarrett

"Someone brought their pet pig to the beach in a clothes hamper." -- Jennifer Whiddon Sumardi

"My dad tying a cooler to the dock so nobody has to get out of the water to get a beer." -- Cecilia Barnard

"A deep fryer set up on the beach at Anna Maria. A guy in full dad gear at the helm, with Hank Jr. cranking way up loud." -- Steve Zanone

"I've used an air mattress to float!" -- Mandy Figueira Cruze

"Nothing says a Southern beach trip like getting up at 5 a.m., setting up a tent, putting on your best PFG, cranking up some Jimmy Buffett and drinking from a seafoam green Yeti." -- Troy Mulkey

"Woman in the pool yelling at the top of her lungs, 'THROW THE BALL TO GRANNY, Y’ALL!' Granny had on a bikini and appeared to be about 40." -- Kemie Styles Brown-Vansant

"Winning the watermelon seed spitting contest as a child hosted by the hotel we stayed at." -- Kinsey Emery

"An alligator swimming in the surf Boynton Beach, Florida." -- Sharon Wenderoth

"A woman in a bikini using canned Crisco as a suntan lotion." -- Gary F. Taylor

"Someone carving a watermelon with a buck knife then taking their slice into the ocean to salt it." -- April Small