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We buzzed over to Yahoo!'s Mosquito category where we found a swarm of sites about the little, annoying insects. We first stopped by How Stuff Works, a site that we return to time and time again. How Mosquitoes Work provides a comprehensive look at the critters, including their breeding cycles, biting habits, and the deadly diseases they can carry. The page that explained why mosquitoes bite confirmed that only the female mosquito bites. The female will land on your skin, stick her proboscis into you, and then suck your blood into her abdomen. Her saliva contains
proteins that prevent your blood from clotting and leave behind an itchy bump. Moving on, we tried to find the answer to your second question. It didn't take long once we located FAQs on Mosquitoes from Rutgers University. The page informed us that females need blood to develop fertile eggs. Since males do not lay eggs, they do not bite. It goes on to say: Few people realize that mosquitoes rely on sugar as their main source of energy. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, fruit juices and liquids that ooze from plants. The sugar is burned as fuel for flight and is replenished on a daily basis. Blood is reserved for egg production and is imbibed less frequently. So it appears
the males rely solely on sugar sources for their energy. While you're at the site, don't miss the video clips of mosquitoes' behavior. If you're not too squeamish, you can witness a mosquito larva hatching from an egg, an adult emerging from pupa, a bite, and, finally, a female filling her abdomen with blood.
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