Why do Mosquitoes bite?
They are everywhere. In the garden, at home, or even near your ears. They usually come out at night and annoy us when we are asleep. Mosquito is a common insect that belongs in the family of Culicidae. It undergoes four stages, the egg, larva, pupa, and imago. When it becomes an adult, its mouth is developed to pierce the skin of plants and animals.
In order for mosquitoes to live, they need to feed on nectar, plant juices, and blood. However, only male mosquitoes suck nectar and plant juices. The female mosquitoes feast on a blood meal and this is why we always get bitten by these insects.
Female mosquitoes need to feed on blood because that is the nutrients she needs in order to produce egg. Female mosquitoes have a different mouthpart with that of male ones. They have proboscis which is a long needle-like-syringe that they use to suck blood. They need to fill their stomach with blood so what they do is fly around and victimized animals and humans. Female mosquitoes are required to feed on blood because if they can’t nourish themselves with blood, their reproduction will be impaired. No fertile eggs will be produced and no mosquitoes will live anymore.
Male mosquitoes do not bite, only female ones. This is because male mosquitoes do not find blood necessary for them to survive. They don’t have eggs to be hatched. They are just satisfied with plant sugar.
Mosquitoes have very sensitive receptors located on their antenna. The can easily smell carbon dioxide in humans. Since our skin excretes gas, mosquitoes can detect these thus making our skin as best target to bite.
Once the mosquitoes bite us, it leaves with it the saliva which can cause itchiness. Mosquitoes also carry diseases because they transfer from person to another when they look for blood.
Leave a Reply