How Do Mosquitoes Bite?
Technically, mosquitoes do not 'bite' - they suck blood through specially adapted mouthparts. (The act of an animal feeding on blood is known as haematophagy.)
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Mosquito Proboscis
A mosquito uses a long proboscis, which is a hollow, syringe-like part of its mouth for piercing human or animal skin. The mosquito proboscis is very thin with a serrated edge so it can pierce the skin easily and discreetly, making it unlikely the mosquito's victim will be aware he or she is being bitten.
When the mosquito finds a blood capillary, it sucks the blood through the proboscis and into its abdomen, where the blood is used for the development of mosquito eggs.
The mosquito’s saliva contains an anti-inflammatory substance to numb the pain, so the act of sucking out the blood is not uncomfortable for the chosen host. However, the bitten person’s immune response to the injected saliva often results in an annoying, itchy red bump that needs treating with an insect bite remedy.
Why Do Some People Get Mosquito Bites?
Why do some people get mosquito bites and others do not? It is unclear why some people suffer terribly with multiple mosquito bites, while others never seem to get bitten. Mosquitoes are attracted to various things about people; the chemicals given off in skin and breath, fragrances worn, heat given out, movement and even the colours of clothes.
It is possible that certain combinations of these attractants make some people more interesting to mosquitoes than others, and therefore more likely to get mosquito bites.
Some people seem to have little or no reaction to mosquito bites, while others have very strong allergic reactions and their mosquito bites become very large, swollen, inflamed and painful. Severe allergic reactions to mosquito bites may require treatment with oral antihistamines. In cases of infection caused by insect bites, antibiotics may be needed.
Stop those mozzies from biting you by wearing insect repellent.
