Why does a mosquito need blood
Mosquitoes, or as they are called in the common people mosquitoes, are insects that are common throughout the globe... They have been harassing animals and humans since prehistoric times. There are theories that the ancestors of the mosquito existed in the era of the dinosaurs. Hearing the painfully familiar disgusting buzzing and scratching the place swollen from the bite, you can not only during summer vacation... To meet a mosquito swarm in the basement, in the attic in winter, is completely no surprise, because harmful insects multiply, both in nature and in warm rooms with high humidity... One of the frequently asked questions is: why do mosquitoes drink blood?
The answer is both simple and interesting: mammalian blood is saturated with proteins that mosquitoes need to lay eggs and produce healthy offspring.
Why does a mosquito bite
It is wrong to think that mosquitoes are absolutely useless. Although a person does not like these bloodsuckers, the appearance is necessary for a holistic the food chain... Birds, spiders, bloodworms (mosquito larvae) feed on them. freshwater fish, frogs. Benefit - benefit, and swelling after bites, spoiled mood, anxiety during sleep - these are minimal difficulties after being bitten by a harmful insect. To understand why mosquitoes need blood, entomology will help. What blood and how much can the Culicidae family drink?
The main diet of harmful mosquitoes is animal blood: cattle, forest dwellers, human blood will not be an exception to this list of victims.
Insect diet
What is the value of blood
How much blood is needed to reproduce the genus and who bites more often?
- The main food for mosquitoes is provided by warm-blooded animals.
- A healthy brood requires red blood cells, the plasma lipids that make up protein.
- Eating normally, the average number of fertilized eggs varies around two hundred.
The danger is borne by the female of the Culicidae family, in males there is no need for animal blood.
The need for protein
How much blood do not drink, but still not enough! The female mosquito's thirst to get enough is so great that if the insect is not driven away, it will drink blood until it increases its weight several times.
Of course, the female can lay eggs without blood, but the lack of protein affects the offspring. Having given up all the protein accumulated in one's own body, it will be possible to reproduce about 40 mosquitoes. Accordingly, the more blood the female can drink, the greater the chance of laying eggs.
Flower nectar as an alternative
What do the males eat? The food for males is flower nectar. They, like other insects such as butterflies, prefer the pollen and sweet nectar of flowering plants. Male mosquitoes are necessary exclusively for fertilization, which ends their role in nature.
Bite process
Irritation is caused not by the penetration of a thin proboscis under the epithelium, but by the liquid secreted by the insect, the so-called saliva.
How does a mosquito drink blood? Penetrating under the skin with a pointed proboscis, the insect needs to stop the folding of blood cells. It is for this case that the secretion of saliva is necessary, which causes the itch, which is familiar to everyone.
That is why, feeling a burning sensation in a certain area on the body, a person is surprised to observe that the mosquito has already increased in size, having drunk blood.
Mosquito saliva makes us itch
In search of a victim
How developed is the sensory perception in insects of this species. Will they be able to find you in a tent or while running?
- Bloodsuckers are looking for a victim by the smell of lactic acid, which comes from the human body.
- Also, to detect a warm-blooded creature, a mosquito can also be exhaled by carbon dioxide.
- Standing still, a person is surrounded by the "aromas" of his own body, which will surely attract, if not a swarm of mosquitoes, then a couple of individuals is guaranteed.
- Driving away the flock in full force, a cloud is formed, which swells with the movement of the arms and legs.
- Mosquitoes taste the prey at a distance of three kilometers. Anyone can save themselves from blood loss. Modern means protection: spirals, creams, plates, will help to deceive the bloodsucker.
Like a magnet for mosquitoes, there will be a combed wound, so good advice will become: to treat the stung place as carefully as possible, to process the bite, not to rip it off, not to scratch the wound.
Possible consequences for the body
The standard swelling and burning is less than a mosquito bite can result in a warm-blooded creature. How mosquitoes can cause serious problems? Mosquitoes carry various diseases viral in nature. Warm resort countries suffer annually from such a scourge as the malaria epidemic. The deadly disease is carried by mosquitoes. In areas where harmful insects live, they are subject to treatment, people are vaccinated. For the untrained traveler, malaria is the most dangerous of all diseases.
Avoid getting malaria and possible consequences, it will turn out, only having been vaccinated in advance.
The question of why mosquitoes drink blood torments every lover of summer vacations or who at least once had a chance to encounter these annoying insects. For mosquitoes, blood is not easy favorite treat, a effective method continue their kind. Without a sufficient amount of biological material, a full life and reproduction of mosquitoes is impossible.
What is mosquito blood for?
To understand why mosquitoes drink blood, you need to look at the composition of this liquid. Human or animal blood contains a large amount of protein. 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 goes to the clutch.
Many representatives of the Diptera order have the ability to lay offspring only once. Mosquito females at average duration life only 2-3 months do it several times.
The most a large number of clutches were recorded in malaria mosquitoes. Their female can leave offspring up to 12 times in her entire life.
Mosquitoes need blood before each clutch. A direct relationship has been established between the amount of blood drunk and the quality of the offspring. How more protein in the body of a mosquito, the stronger and more numerous the offspring are.
Who drinks: female or male
When deciding which mosquito drinks blood, one should refer to their physiological needs. Given that the female is engaged in the reproduction of offspring in the mosquito family, then only females feed on blood... Male mosquito menu presented plant food: flower nectar. They do not have such a proboscis and a somewhat different structure of the oral apparatus.
Males need a diet rich in carbohydrates to keep them feeling full for a long time. Also, this way of feeding is the key to the reproduction of some plants, whose pollen is carried by insects during the search for food.
The need for blood in a female mosquito is so high that during a meal, she cannot stop. The bloodsucker stops drinking blood only when his body enlarges several times and the abdomen is not completely filled. How many times a mosquito bites depends on the actions of the victim and the degree of hunger of the female.
How mosquitoes reproduce
The ability to reproduce in females appears as early as 3-4 days after becoming an adult. From this time on, she can enter into a relationship with the male. After that, she needs a protein and the search for a victim begins.
Special antennas help mosquitoes catch the smell of the food source. The radius of the action is about 1 km.
Bloodsuckers find their prey on the following grounds:
- Heat;
- Sweat odor;
- Carbon dioxide that is released when breathing.
Description of the process, how a mosquito drinks blood:
- After finding the victim, the insect selects a place for a bite. It should be warm, throbbing and thin-skinned.
- Then, with the help of the proboscis, the female pierces the human epidermis and immediately salivates. It contains a special substance that prevents rapid clotting and makes it possible to finish the meal. The same enzyme provokes allergic reaction mosquito bites, blistering, redness and swelling.
It is impossible to determine exactly when the mosquito has drunk blood, since the female will eat as much as she can. - After being bitten, mosquito females go to look for a place for laying and reproduce offspring.
In some species, such as urban basement squeaks, it is possible to make the first clutch, even with a bloodless diet. But immediately after the first reproduction, individuals go in search of warm-blooded victims.
On average, a mosquito leaves about 200 eggs per clutch. But reproduction is possible with a bloodless diet of dipterans. In this case, the number of eggs is reduced to 40 pieces, the offspring is weak and few survive to the imago stage - the adult (definitive) stage individual development insects and some other arthropod animals, dying in the larval stage. The female herself suffers. After all, to lay eggs, she has to spend her own protein reserves. Therefore, after this, the bloodsucker often dies.
Mosquitoes are very ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Scientists have even discovered several fossil species that have not survived to this day. Today, the mosquito family has about 3000 species and each of them has distinctive features... To reproduce and continue to develop, they all need blood. Only sacrifice at different types maybe its own.
Small squeaky mosquitoes, habitual in the city, have adapted and drink human blood. But mosquitoes do not necessarily suck human blood. They are attracted by the material of most warm-blooded animals. It can be cats, dogs, large cattle or birds. There are also those species that only require the blood of a particular species of animal.
Studies have shown that biological fluid from animals is better for reproduction than human fluid. The female, which chose birds as a victim, gave 2 times more offspring than the one that sucked human blood.
There are also mosquito species around the world that prefer to feed on the body fluids of certain fish or frogs. And tropical bloodsuckers drink caterpillar lymph.
The fears of people that large mosquitoes drink blood and are able to drink it all are incorrect and have no scientific basis. Representatives of this species are called caramoras and lead an exclusively herbivorous lifestyle. They do not pose a danger to humans. However, the question of whether mosquitoes can bite to death remains open to inquisitive minds.
Thus, it became clear why bloodsuckers bite humans and animals. The lust for blood in 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.
The question of why mosquitoes drink blood torments every lover of summer vacations or who at least once had a chance to encounter these annoying insects. For blood - not just a favorite delicacy, but an effective way to continue your family. Without a sufficient amount of biological material, a full-fledged one is impossible.
What is it for
To understand why mosquitoes drink blood, you need to look at the composition of this liquid. Human or animal blood contains a large amount of protein. 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 goes to the clutch.
Many representatives of the Diptera order have the ability to lay offspring only once. Mosquito females, with an average life expectancy of only 2-3 months, do this several times.
Interesting!
The largest number of clutches was registered at. Their female can leave offspring up to 12 times in her entire life.
Mosquitoes need blood before each clutch. A direct relationship was established between the amount of liquid drunk and the quality of the offspring. The more protein there is in the mosquito's body, the stronger and more numerous the offspring are.
Who drinks: female or male
When deciding which mosquito drinks blood, one should refer to their physiological needs. Considering that the female is engaged in the reproduction of offspring in the mosquito family, only female individuals feed on blood. males are represented by plant food: flower nectar. They do not have such a proboscis and a somewhat different structure of the oral apparatus.
Males need a diet rich in carbohydrates to keep them feeling full for a long time. Also, this way 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 a meal, she cannot stop. The bloodsucker stops drinking blood only when his body enlarges several times and the abdomen is not completely filled. , depends on the actions of the victim and the degree of hunger of the female.
How does reproduction take place
The ability to reproduce in females appears as early as 3-4 days after becoming an adult. From this time on, she can enter into a relationship with the male. After that, she needs a protein and the search for a victim begins.
Special antennas help mosquitoes catch the smell of the food source. The radius of the action is about 1 km. Bloodsuckers find their prey on the following grounds:
- Heat.
- Smell of sweat.
- Carbon dioxide that is released when breathing.
Description of the process, how a mosquito drinks blood:
- After finding the victim, the insect selects a place for a bite. It should be warm, throbbing and thin-skinned.
- Then, with the help of the proboscis, the female pierces the human epidermis and immediately salivates. It contains a special substance that prevents rapid clotting and makes it possible to finish the meal. The same enzyme provokes.
- It is impossible to determine exactly when the mosquito has drunk blood, since the female will eat as much as she can.
- After being bitten, mosquito females go to look for a place for laying and reproduce offspring.
Interesting!
In some species, such as urban basement squeaks, it is possible to make the first clutch, even with a bloodless diet. But immediately after the first reproduction, individuals go in search of warm-blooded victims.
On average, a mosquito leaves about 200 eggs per clutch. But reproduction is possible with a bloodless diet of dipterans. In this case, the number of eggs is reduced to 40 pieces, the offspring is weak and few survive to the imago stage, dying in the stage. The female herself suffers. After all, to lay eggs, she has to spend her own protein reserves. Therefore, after this, the bloodsucker often dies.
Whom do they bite
Mosquitoes are very ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Scientists have even discovered several fossil species that have not survived to this day. Today, the mosquito family has about 3,000 species and each of them has distinctive features. To reproduce and continue to develop, they all need blood. Only different species can have their own sacrifice.
Small squeaky mosquitoes, habitual in the city, have adapted and drink human blood. But mosquitoes do not necessarily suck human blood. They are attracted by the material of most warm-blooded animals. These can be cats, dogs, cattle or birds. There are also those species that only require the blood of a particular species of animal.
Studies have shown that biological fluid from animals is better for reproduction than human fluid. The female, which chose birds as a victim, gave 2 times more offspring than the one that sucked human blood.
There are also mosquito species around the world that prefer to feed on the body fluids of certain fish or frogs. And tropical bloodsuckers drink caterpillar lymph.
The fears of people that they drink blood and are able to drink it all are incorrect and have no scientific basis. Representatives of this species are called caramoras and lead an exclusively herbivorous lifestyle. They do not pose a danger to humans. However, the question remains open for inquisitive minds.
Thus, it became clear why bloodsuckers bite humans and animals. The lust for blood in 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.
Komarov, perhaps, no one likes. They can ruin any vacation. Intrusive buzzing, pain from bites, itching of inflamed areas, transfer of diseases - all these are problems associated with this disgusting insect. Well, it’s not that bad. It plays important role in food chains, in particular, mosquito larvae - bloodworms - are one of the main food sources for many fish. Let's get back to the problem of bites, though. So why does a mosquito drink blood? Why does a mosquito need blood? Only female mosquitoes drink blood. Males, like butterflies, prefer the sweet juice and nectar of flowers. Females, on the other hand, need blood protein in order for the eggs to form normally. The more and more often the insect drinks blood, the more offspring will be. If the female is not driven away, she will drink more blood than she weighs! If the female fails to drink the blood, she will still lay eggs. True, for this she will have to sacrifice part of her own tissues, in fact, "eating" herself. In addition, there will be very few offspring. Some environmentalists worried that the invention of mosquito bite creams, ultrasonic repellents and other insect repellents would affect their population and disrupt their food chains. However, the fears were not confirmed. Even in the suburbs, humans are not the main source of blood for mosquitoes. Most food is provided by pets. How do mosquitoes drink blood? mosquito before man... Scientists believe they also tortured dinosaurs. However, some researchers believe that mosquitoes "learned" to suck blood relatively recently. The mechanism of this process is very imperfect. The mosquito pierces the skin with a thin, sharp proboscis and releases saliva into the blood, which prevents blood from clotting. But this liquid irritates the person. It is unpleasant for both humans and insects. A person gets itching and swelling (in some marshy areas, there are cases when clouds of mosquitoes cause death of animals and even people). The victim's pain does not allow the insect to drink enough blood. The mosquito is driven away, or even killed. Why are mosquito bites dangerous? The saliva of some species of blood-sucking insects can cause not only tumors, but also serious illnesses. The worst of these is malaria. Some researchers say that this disease killed more people than was killed in all wars. Doctors say malaria has taken away more lives than any other disease. Therefore, in areas where the malaria mosquito is found, all residents are vaccinated against this disease. How do mosquitoes find their prey? In Russia, deadly mosquitoes are not found. But our mosquitoes can cause a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, creams, plates and other measures are not always effective enough. In addition, the lifesaver is not always at hand. It should be remembered that a mosquito finds a victim by the smell of lactic acid emanating from human skin and by the smell of carbon dioxide that we breathe out. When a person stands still, he is soon surrounded by a cloud of this substance. Therefore, mosquitoes are much less likely to bite someone who moves. “Moving” does not mean jumping and waving his arms. In this case, a cloud of gas remains, and the mosquito quickly finds a victim by this behavior. By brushing off one mosquito, you can lure a few more. Therefore, one must try to maintain patience and calmness. And, of course, the smell of blood. We must try to control ourselves, not to scratch the bitten area, otherwise the released blood will attract even more insects, and the affected area will heal more slowly.
First, tell me: did you think that a mosquito sucks blood through a tube? No matter how it is: the mosquito has not one tool, but a whole set - drills, pumps, syringes and fasteners.
In fact, the mosquito has not one, but six needles. At the ends of two of them there are teeth with which the mosquito drills the skin. These instruments are so delicate that a person hardly feels the bite. When a hole is made in the skin, the mosquito plunges into it a flexible needle-pump, which raises the blood, while the other needles serve as spacers at this time, expanding the hole.
This is how it looks in the video:
Now let's get back to our question.
If it comes about the mosquito's own blood (hemolymph), then it performs the same functions as human blood - it transfers nutrients, harmful metabolic products, hormones, and provides protection against infections. Only oxygen and carbon dioxide she can't stand it - the mosquito has tracheal respiratory system, and through thin tubes-trachea oxygen is delivered directly to the cells. Larvae of mosquito-bells ("bloodworms") - rare case among insects, when hemolymph is colored red due to hemoglobin. These aquatic larvae breathe through the integument, the trachea are poorly developed and do not open outward with holes. They live in silt at the bottom of water bodies, where there is often very little oxygen, and hemoglobin allows them to bind and store additional amounts of oxygen. (See also the answer to the question "Do insects have blood?")
If we are talking about blood that female mosquitoes drink when sucking blood, then they need it primarily for reproduction. Females, like males, can drink water and nectar and live without blood feeding. But most species and populations of the kulicid mosquito (Culicidae; this family includes blood-sucking mosquitoes) without blood supply are not capable of reproduction. Blood, unlike nectar, is a protein-rich food. The proteins contained in the plasma (liquid part of the blood) and erythrocytes are digested in the intestines of the "mosquito", and the resulting amino acids are used to synthesize the proteins of its eggs.
3-4 days after hatching from pupae, female mosquitoes mate with males. Fertilized females are looking for their victims. After drinking blood, females digest it for 2-3 days. During this time, eggs ripen in their ovaries, and then the female finds a suitable reservoir and lays eggs on the surface of the water. A certain percentage of females then die, and the survivors can drink blood again and only after that lay a new portion of eggs. (They do not need to mate again, since they retain sperm reserves in the seminal receptacles - a special part of the reproductive system.) The cycle "nutrition - digestion of food - laying eggs" is scientifically called "gonotrophic harmony".
But some mosquitoes don't need blood. For example, female large mosquitoes of the genus Toxorhynchites feed only on nectar. This is due to the nutrition of their larvae. The larvae of most mosquitoes eat bacteria and small particles of dead organic matter - detritus. And the larvae of Toxorhynchites eat the larvae of other mosquitoes - protein animal food. Therefore, at the larval stage, they store enough proteins for the female to lay eggs, and she does not have to risk her life by extracting blood.
The ability to autogeny (laying eggs without bloodsucking) also appeared in the so-called "city mosquitoes" - Culex pipiens pipiens forma molestus. Populations of these mosquitoes have adapted to life in the half-flooded basements of city houses. Basement water often contains enough organic matter, they are stored when the larvae feed, and the females of these mosquitoes can lay the first clutch of eggs without sucking blood. For the next clutches, blood supply is needed, but the population can exist and increase its number indefinitely without it. Unfortunately, the "blood-sucking instinct" of the female mosquito has not disappeared, and they pester the inhabitants of some cities even in winter ...
Answered by: Sergey Glagolev
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