They are around us, often invisible, and when we detect their presence it is usually too late… A little pain followed by itching, redness and a pimple? The mosquito has made a new victim and has added you to the long list of its favorite targets!
A very cumbersome surprise guest at our summer aperitifs, the mosquito does not only bite humans, far from it. According to its preferences, its first victims are either birds or land mammals, especially domestic animals such as cats or dogs. And some species even attack “cold-blooded” animals, such as frogs and snakes!
But how does this tiny insect bite even the toughest skin? And what consequences can his misdeed have on the organisms of his victims?
Blood, the assurance of well-born offspring
First of all, it should be remembered that only female mosquitoes bite, males much prefer flower nectar to our blood, or other sources of sugar (such as honeydew, a thick and viscous liquid excreted by certain insects which parasitize plants, such as aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, etc.). And for good reason: they do not have a stitching device…
In full flight, it is not easy to distinguish harmless males from females. Careful observation nevertheless reveals the presence of feathery antennae on the head of the former, absent from that of the latter. But anyway, if a mosquito bites you, it must be a female.
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