Summer came, and the little bloodsuckers went hunting again. Mosquitoes have been honing their hunting skills for 30 million years, using their physiological sensors to find prey. Few of the insects are as annoying to humans and animals as mosquitoes.
Males of all known species of mosquitoes feed only on plant food - pollen and nectar of flowers. They do not trade by sucking blood, only they itch disgustingly. But females cannot live without vampirism. They don't care who they bite - people or animals.
When the mating period begins, the females call in the males with a characteristic high-pitched sound. Mosquitoes pick up these sound vibrations with their antennae, select females and mating takes place. After fertilization, the female mosquito needs blood to breed. Even one drop of blood will give life to hundreds of mosquito eggs. And if blood cannot be found, females also temporarily become vegetarians, but in this case they can no longer lay eggs.
To suck blood, the mosquito pierces the victim's skin and, before drinking, injects a substance that prevents blood from clotting. This foreign substance stimulates the victim's immune system and swelling and itching begins to develop around the bite site.
What is most unpleasant, mosquitoes not only bite, but also carry various dangerous diseases with bites. Physicians and biologists consider mosquitoes to be the culprit of malaria, which is common mainly in tropical latitudes. Malaria mosquitoes are not much larger than normal mosquitoes. You can distinguish such bloodsuckers by their characteristic fit - their back is strongly raised up.
The second group of mosquito-borne diseases is caused by microscopic filamentous worms. Getting into the circulatory or lymphatic system, these worms cause blood clots, blockage of blood vessels, accumulation of lymph in the extremities - "elephantiasis". Such diseases are common in Africa, Asia and South America. In addition, mosquitoes carry tropical and yellow fever, various encephalitis.
Probably, many have noticed that mosquitoes do not even fly up to some people. This feature is popularly explained by the poor state of health of the lucky people. Insects are often not associated with people weakened by severe illness. Mosquitoes recognize the quality of the blood from a distance. So, if you were bitten mercilessly, rejoice in the good condition of your body!
