What males and female mosquitoes eat

What mosquitoes eat, interests not only nature lovers, specialists, but also an ordinary inhabitant of the planet. With the onset of warm days, almost everyone thinks about protecting their own body, home, pets from blood-sucking insects. Since in order to defeat the enemy, you need to know his weaknesses, it is advisable to study the taste preferences of the parasites.

Power Features

Mosquitoes eat human blood - a known fact. However, this is not the only source of food, thanks to which insects breed, multiply and live in wild nature. The basis of nutrition are sugar.

Differences between the female and male mosquito in the diet are insignificant. Both sexes of different ages consume plant-derived sugars, honey dew, less often nectar. Males of mosquitoes feed exclusively on these “products”, the female mosquito needs human or animal blood. This feature gives the answer to the question of who bites the male or female.

Energetically blood and nectar are interchangeable products. They support vital energy, improve reproductive functions, make the life cycle high-grade. However, there are different mosquito speciesthat feed mainly on nectar or are dependent on blood.

Interesting!

The female of an ordinary marsh mosquito or piskun blood required to be able to lay eggs. Without this “product”, the female continues to live in the swamp, in the basements, but does not have the ability to extend the genus. Females live about 56 days depending on weather conditions, the male mosquito dies soon after fertilization, the life cycle is only 10 days.

Mosquito food

Food sugars plants

Insects for replenishment of vital reserves choose certain plants:

• tansy;
• burdock;
• yarrow

Most of all they love tansy, on the flower is going to immediately 10 allowances. An interesting fact about mosquitoes published by foreign researchers: virgin females give preference to plant food. Pregnant women were no more than 45%. Fructose has a beneficial effect on the body of insects, so they need plant food.

Blood supply

What sex mosquitoes are circling over man, animals, it is not difficult to guess. Males are not interested in this type of food, so they always keep distant from the person. Female drinks blood, determines the presence of the victim by the radiated heat, the smell of carbon dioxide, which is released during exhalation.

Female mosquitoes feed in the forest with the blood of wild animals, in the countryside - cattle, man. In the city, the main source of food for females is the blood of people, pets. Whether mosquitoes bite birds, it was determined in the laboratory. Insects stung mice, birds, cats, dogs. A female weighing 3 mg at a time can eat about 5 mg of blood.

In order for the female to stay for a long time near the main power source, certain conditions must be observed - the presence of places with high humidity forlaying eggs In the wild, these are swamps, a territory near rivers, lakes with stagnant water, large puddles. In the city - basements.

On a note!

Females eat plant foods other than blood, the presence of two food sources is the key to a long life - 56 days. In the apartment, insects can find blood for procreation, but will not find the nectar that is required to replenish their energy reserves. In such conditions, the life expectancy of the female individual is reduced.

External differences between males and females

Female and male mosquitoes

It is not difficult to determine who annoys the human nervous system, orbits the body, there is no need to even consider it. mosquito under a microscope. Because males are not interested in blood, they keep away from humans. A mosquito with a furry mustache is a female, which, thanks to the “antennas”, easily determines the location of the victim.

The female mosquito looks unattractive. The size of the mosquito body from 4 to 14 mm. Transparent wings are covered with small scales, in scope reach 3 cm. Body structure presented with a wide chest and abdomen of 10 segments, which are supported by long legs.Ends limbs with sharp claws that allow you to cling to any surface.

The usual coloring of a gray, brownish mosquito. In view of the fact that the insect has a translucent cover, the food is translucent. A red, orange, green, yellow tint appears. Biting can, thanks to special jaws, suck the blood with a proboscis, secrete enzymes during blood sucking, mosquito bites accompanied by itching allergic reaction. Some representatives have a brush at the tips of the paws, antennae. There are wingless species.

The male mosquito looks almost the same as a female. Significant difference is observed in size. Oblong body about 5 mm. The color is always gray, brown or greenish. Differs mouth apparatus, underdeveloped jaws, which do not allow the insect to bite through the skin of the animal, man.

Important!

Due to the fact that mosquitoes feed on blood, they are classified as dangerous insects. Parasites spread diseases, some of them are quite dangerous. An example of this is fever, borelliosis, lymphatic filariasis, tularemia, malaria, if the offender has become anopheles mosquito.