Female mosquitoes need to have a blood meal before they can reproduce.
They need protein from blood to create and lay eggs.
Some mosquito species, the female, will not produce eggs until after it has had a blood meal.
Other mosquito species, however, only necessitate a blood meal to lay their eggs.
Other than protein, blood also provide female mosquitoes sugar and lipids for nourishment.
The blood can come from humans and animals alike.
They feed on warm-blooded animals such as birds, ducks, cats, dogs, and raccoons.
However, some prefer to get their blood meal on cold-blooded animals such as snakes, frogs, and lizards.
Some species of mosquitoes also prefer birds to other mammals.
Female mosquitoes find their blood-meal by detecting increased levels of C02 we produce when we exhale.
They can also detect us though chemicals our bodies omit when we sweat such as lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia.
Once she lands on her potential victim, she looks for the perfect spot to inject her saliva.
The saliva contains an anticoagulant that thins the blood and makes it easier for her to feed.
Mosquito saliva also numbs the skin so the victim would not notice being bitten.
Unfortunately, although their saliva makes their bites painless at first, it is through it that mosquitoes spread diseases.
Once a female has had her blood meal, she flies to a shaded area such as tall grass or tree until she’s ready to lay her eggs, usually between three to five days.
1 thought on “What Do Mosquitoes Eat?”