We all know that the mosquitoes quest for food ends when they find a source of blood. But did you know that mosquitoes suck nectar too and only the females take a blood meal?
I didn’t know the bit about the nectar. It does make me think about how many millions of mosquitoes my flowers have fed over the years…
If only mosquitoes sucked fat instead of blood.
– Unknown –
The mosquito is the state bird of New Jersey.
– Andy Warhol –
This week’s WordPress Photo Challenge is Quest.
Thats really interesting.
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That’s what I thought, too.
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I knew the females are the blood sappers but I didn’t know about the nectar. Hmm. I learned something new today and it’s only 8:43 a.m. Thanks for sharing.
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Apparently not all species of female mosquitoes need blood either.
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What? How many species of female mosquitoes are there? Huh!
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I’ve read that there are about 80 species of mosquitoes in Canada and 176 in the USA.
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Wow. I’m glad to hear there are less in Canada and everything in the U.S. is BIGGER. 😀 Thank you for the info..
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Margie, in spite of the temptation, I am going to take the high road and not make any jokes about blood-sucking females. (Just in case my wife ever follows your blog).
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What is your wife’s email address? I’ll invite her to follow my blog…
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OK, but this keyboard has been giving me problems lately. It’s pazll&%@kiooooi.net.
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You better dip into the ‘Never Been Freshly Pressed’ membership fund and get yourself a new keyboard!
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There’s nothing quite as annoying as hearing a mosquito buzzing around your head…
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The only thing worse is when the buzzing stops, and you don’t know whether they landed on you.
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I knew that the females were the blood suckers but my little mind never wandered down the path of how the males eat! Thanks! Here in the Philadelphia suburbs they are so bad art night you cannot sit comfortably outside anymore : (
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I never thought about what the males eat either. I was very surprised.
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Either way I can do without them!
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I knew only the females suck blood but did not know about nectar. Years ago when I told that info to my husband about the females, he said, “All females of species are blood suckers!” Then added. “except you, dear.”
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Your husband certainly knows how to stay out of trouble!
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When we moved to Virginia, I was anticipating many more mosquitoes than we had in Massachusetts. Wrong. Not sure why but I think part of it might be all the nice little bats that start swirling about at dusk having their dinner.
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Our bats don’t seem to be making much of a dent in the mosquito population!
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I’m sure scientists are working on it now – to make mosquitos suck fat! I didn’t know that mosquitos liked nectar.
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Wouldn’t that be wonderful! I wouldn’t mind if mosquitoes were the size of hummingbirds if they could make me skinnier.
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I’ve heard that they are doing some scientific work which means that fewer female mosquitos will be around so there will be fewer malaria infected bites. If they can do that, surely they can develop large fat sucking ones! 🙂
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If mosquitos only would suck fat! And here in Texas, U.S.A. they are big enough to just carry you away!!! Yes, it is good to be up north the mosquitos mutant down this far! Good info btw.
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Everything seems to be super size in Texas!
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And here I thought it was a simple case of sending the ‘little woman’ out to find food while the males stayed at home and relaxed. 🙂 Thanks for teaching me something new!
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That would be something if the females brought home the blood and shared it with the family!
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I’m a mosquito magnet, but I never realised they suck nectar as well 😉
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Normally I am a mosquito magnet too, but for some reason not this year. Not sure why.
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What do mosquitoes eat? Me.
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You must have super good blood.
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I imagine this may be one of the few times us males of any species are considered to be more elegant and sweet than the females. Awesome
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Yes, it isn’t often that the male of the species flutters among the flowers while the female zeros in for a blood meal…
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What?? By growing flowers I’m enabling mosquitos?? Mother Nature is even crueler than I thought… : (
I live in Harrisville, NH. If you look at an old map, it’s in an area called Mosquito Bush. ‘Nuff said!!
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Yes, we are enabling the mosquito population. Now, if scientists could just find a way to deliver a mosquito specific poison through the nectar of the flowers…
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Thanks for following again 🙂 This post made me laugh, Canadians in summer have mosquitoes on the brain. I wrote this a few days ago…
http://notestoponder.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/its-too-hot-mosquito/
🙂
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I enjoyed your mosquito post. I’m allergic to mosquito bites too!
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Apparently they won’t bite (at least not as much) if you take B vitamins. Multi vitamins containing Bs won”t do, it has to be straight up B. 🙂
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I started taking B12 a while back, and I have to say that I haven’t been as attractive to mosquitoes this year. I had thought it was all the chocolate I was eating!
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Good news, that’s all the affirmation I need. Trading in my multi vitamin Bs for a whopping dedicated dose. A few hours ago I got a bite on top of my big toe. Yikes, I’m going out of my mind:)
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I apply a small amount of hydrocortisone cream as soon as I get bitten. I also take an antihistamine. They help make the mosquito season bearable.
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I’ll give both a try 🙂
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[…] What Do Mosquitoes Eat? – Bugs and Blooms […]
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