Before you swat, give peace a chance. The mosquito believes in flower-power, and doesn’t want to eat you. They only feed on nectar from flowers, or other natural sugars, for thier nourishment. It’s only the female mosquitos that are out for blood. Only the female mosquito is equipped with the apparatus to annoy. (am I right, guys?) When they “bite”, they poke two tubes into the skin. One injects and enzyme (aka: “spit”) that prevents clotting, while the second tube extracts the blood. It is stored as a source of protein for their eggs. So when you squash that sucker on your arm, remember it’s only the women and unborn children that your killing. (I’m talking to you, Mr. Obama)
As for the male mosquitos, they are the musicians of the swarm. A recent study discovered that when one variety of mosquitos mate, the male changes the rate at which he flaps his wings so that his buzz synchronizes with the female. When he gets in sync, the two buzzes produce a musical overtone, a third sound caused by the the vibrations interacting, at about 1200 hertz. Only then do they do their thing. Scientists are hoping that by disrupting the 1200-Hz overtone, they can prevent mating. It’s a bit like drowning out Lionel Richie with some Megadeth to ruin the mood.
- Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/mosquito.html
- Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/09/male-and-female-mosquitoes-buzz-in-harmony-to-produce-a-love-song/
