Many people despise mosquitoes and will kill them whenever they get the chance to. They are responsible for countless deaths in humans and spread a myriad of diseases. What a lot of people don't tend to know however is that only the female of the species will ever bite a human to suck the blood. The male of the species will only ever feed on nectar from plants and flowers the same as bees or hover-flies do. In fact it is incapable of biting anything because it lacks a proboscis, which is a needle like tube that the female uses to pierce skin and to suck blood through.

The male of the species tend to be smaller then the females and are rarely seen indoors. You might occasionally see them on flowers drinking nectar, but they are often chased away from the best feeding grounds by the larger nectar feeders such as bees. The best place to see them then is lower to the ground on smaller plants and flowers with less competition for the nectar around them.

To look at they are similar to female mosquitoes, but females are rare to see feeding on nectar. Although they do feed on nectar, if they have been drinking blood then they are usually too bloated to take any more sustenance on board until they have already laid their eggs.

There is also a good reason why the female needs to drink blood other then just to feed itself. The blood it drinks is used in the mosquitoes reproductive cycles, and helps in the development of their larvae. The blood when it is in the system of the mosquito is broken down into its component amino acids and proteins. And from here these are then used in the development of both the shell of the eggs and the growth cells of the larvae as well. If the female fails to get any blood for the development of her eggs then they will fail and no larvae will be born.

There also species of mosquito that don't ever suck blood, and even some that eat the larvae of other mosquitoes. They tend to occur in tropical locations or in the rain forests. Rather then using the iron and protein in blood for their young they feed on a wider range of nectar and fruit materials to get the chemical ingredients that they need for their young.

These species are being researched as to a possible predator that scientists can introduce into new areas to keep mosquito populations at bay. And trials are already underway in both the wetlands and swamps of Florida and certain areas of Africa as well.

Humans are generally only bitten over other animals because we are the most abundant species near many mosquito populations. As well as the important fact that out blood tends to be rich in the nutrients that they need for their young. Humans as a species have very iron and protein rich blood because we eat a lot of foods containing both.

Domesticated livestock for example generally does not, and sometimes have thicker tougher skin to get through as well. Because most species of mosquito feed at night time also makes humans prime targets, because we tend to be asleep at these times. Other animals which are awake might kill any mosquitoes that they notice around them.

The best way to keep them away is to stay away from any boggy ground or stagnant pools. These are where most mosquitoes lay their eggs and where their larvae live. They also tend to stay fairly close to some source of water in their adult lives as well. And will not often stray too far away from a suitable egg laying spot in search of blood.

Learn more about this author, Scott Heritage.
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