Why do mosquitoes drink blood

The question of why mosquitoes drink blood, torments every summer vacation lover, or who even once had to face these annoying insects. For mosquitoes blood is not just a favorite delicacy, but an effective way to continue your race. Without a sufficient amount of biological material is impossible full mosquito life and breeding.

What is needed

To understand why mosquitoes drink blood, you need to turn to the composition of this fluid.Human or animal blood contains protein in large quantities. It is a valuable source of energy and building material for the formation of mosquito offspring. Having received a sufficient amount of material, the female is sent to the clutch.

Many representatives of the order Diptera have the opportunity to postpone the offspring only 1 time. Mosquito females with an average life expectancy of only 2-3 months do this several times.

Interesting!

The largest number of clutches registered at anopheles mosquito. Their female for all her life can leave offspring up to 12 times.

Before each laying mosquitoes need blood. A direct correlation was established between the amount of fluid consumed and the quality of offspring. The more protein in the body of a mosquito, the stronger and more numerous the offspring.

Who drinks: female or male

When deciding which mosquitoes drink blood, one should refer to their physiological needs. Considering that the female is engaged in the reproduction of the offspring in the family of mosquitoes, only females feed on blood. Mosquito menu Males are represented by plant food: floral nectar.They do not have such a proboscis and a somewhat different structure of the oral apparatus.

Mosquito bite

Males need a diet rich in carbohydrates, which for a long time gives a feeling of satiety. Also, this method of feeding is the key to the reproduction of some plants, whose pollen is carried by insects during the search for food.

Interesting!

The need for blood in a female mosquito is so high that during the meal, it cannot stop. A bloodsucker stops drinking blood only when its body is enlarged several times and the belly is not completely full. How many times does a mosquito bite, depends on the actions of the victim and the degree of hunger of the female.

How does reproduction occur

The ability to reproduce in females appears as early as 3-4 days after becoming an adult. Already from this time she can communicate with the male. After that, she needs protein and begins the search for the victim.

Special antennas help to catch the smell of the food source. The radius of the action is about 1 km. Bloodsuckers find their prey by the following signs:

1. Heat.
2. The smell of sweat.
3. Carbon dioxide that is released during breathing.

Description of the process of how the mosquito drinks blood:

1. After finding the victim, the insect picks up a place to bite. It should be warm, pulsating and with thin skin.
2. Then, with the help of a proboscis, the female pierces the human epidermis and immediately spits. It contains a special substance that prevents rapid coagulation and makes it possible to finish the meal. The same enzyme provokes allergic reaction to mosquito bite, blistering, redness and swelling.
3. To determine exactly when the mosquito drank blood is impossible, as the female will eat as much as she can.
4. After the bite, mosquito females go to look for a place to lay and reproduce offspring.

Mosquitoes drink blood

Interesting!

In some species, such as urban basement pyshkuny, it is possible to make the first laying even with a bloodless diet. But immediately after the first breeding, the individuals go in search of warm-blooded victims.

In one clutch, on average, a mosquito leaves about 200 eggs. But reproduction is also possible with the bloodless diet of dipterans. In this case, the number of eggs is reduced to 40 pieces, the offspring are weak and few people live to the adult stage, dying even in the maggots. The female herself suffers.After all, for egg laying she has to spend her own reserves of protein. Therefore, often after this the bloodsucker dies.

Who bite

Mosquitoes are very ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Scientists have even discovered several fossil species that have not survived to our days. Today, the mosquito family has about 3000 species and each of them has distinctive features. In order to multiply and continue to grow, they all need blood. Only the victim in different species can have its own.

The small mosquitoes, the habitual in the city, have adapted and drink human blood. But not necessarily mosquitoes suck human blood. They are attracted to most warm-blooded material. These can be cats, dogs, cattle or birds. There are some species that require blood only a specific type of animal.

Mosquito bite animals

Important!

Studies have shown that the biological fluid of animals is better suited for reproduction than human. The female who chose as a victim of birds gave 2 times more offspring than the one that sucked human blood.

There are also mosquito species in the world.who prefer to feed on the biological fluid of certain species of fish or frogs. And tropical bloodsuckers drink the caterpillar's lymph.

People's fears that big mosquitoes they drink blood and are able to drink everything wrong and have no scientific basis. Representatives of this species are called caramoras and lead exclusively to herbivorous lifestyle. They do not pose a danger to humans. However, the question can mosquitoes bite to death, for inquisitive minds remains open.

Thus, it became clear why bloodsuckers bite humans and animals. The blood thirst of mosquitoes is not a whim or a desire to harm warm-blooded animals, but just a way to survive and be able to fully reproduce in order to maintain their own populations.