Why do mosquitoes bite?
Mosquitoes require blood to develop fertile eggs. Males do not lay eggs, and do not bite. Females are the egg-layers; they seek “hosts” that will give them a blood meal. Females lay multiple batches of eggs, and require a blood meal for each batch they lay. Mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both males and females feed on plant nectar and fruit juices. Sugar is burned as fuel for flight, and must be replenished daily. Blood is reserved for egg production and is sought less frequently. People are not the primary target for blood hosts for mosquitoes. Even mosquitoes that carry encephalitis seem to prefer bird hosts. Mosquitoes bite people when they get the chance, but they are better able to track the scent of animals most abundant in their habitat.
Mosquitoes belong to a group of insects that requires blood to develop fertile eggs. Males do not lay eggs, thus, male mosquitoes do not bite. The females are the egg producers and “host-seek” for a blood meal. Female mosquitoes lay multiple batches of eggs and require a blood meal for every batch they lay. Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices and liquids that ooze from plants. The sugar is burned as fuel for flight and is replenished on a daily basis. Blood is reserved for egg production and is imbibed less frequently.
Mosquitoes belong to a group of insects that requires blood to develop fertile eggs. Males do not lay eggs, thus, male mosquitoes do not bite. The females are the egg producers and “host-seek” for a blood meal. Female mosquitoes lay multiple batches of eggs and require a blood meal for every batch they lay. Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices, and liquids that ooze from plants. The sugar is burned as fuel for flight and is replenished on a daily basis. Blood is reserved for egg production and is imbibed less frequently.
Only female mosquitoes bite or take a “blood meal.” The blood is necessary for the development of her eggs. Typically, both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar. The plant sugars provide energy for the mosquito. After the make mates with the female mosquito, eggs will begin to grow in her abdomen. For most species of mosquito, it is crucial that she take a “blood meal” from an animal. The protein from the blood causes the eggs to develop properly.
Only female mosquitoes bite, and all mosquitoes live on the sugar found in plant nectar, not on blood. But there is a reason females seek blood. Female mosquitoes, unlike males, have a proboscis. This is a long thin needle-like built-in syringe located at the mouth. They use this to impale their victims, in order to fill their abdomens with blood. Proteins in the blood are necessary to produce fertile eggs. Since males cannot produce eggs they have no need for blood. Females require a new blood ‘meal’ for every nest they lay, and produce about 250 eggs per meal. Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water where they hatch into squirming larva. The larva molt four times before going into the next stage of pupa. Inside the hardened case of the pupa, the adult mosquito forms and eventually hatches. Female mosquitoes live anywhere from one to several weeks depending on the species and the environment. Some females can survive the winter to lay eggs in the spring, before dying. Males generally li
