Tag: food

Can What I Eat Attract Mosquitoes?

Posted on by k2Dev

When the summer months start to arrive, people look forward to shorter work schedules, barbecues with their friends and relaxing on the beach with a cold beverage in hand. However, mosquitoes are another part of the warmer months, and people generally do not welcome these bugs with open arms. The question remains then, “Can what I eat attract mosquitoes?”

The Short Answer

Ultimately, yes, the foods that you can consume can have some effect on the presence of mosquitoes in your life. While some studies suggest that eating certain foods might keep away or attract mosquitoes, it does have to do with the foods that you have on your plate as well. When you have mosquito-tempting foods sitting out on a platter on a hot summer’s day, you can be sure that these little bugs are going to find their way over to you and cause some annoying itches.

The Banana Question

If you’ve researched this topic before, you’ve probably heard a little bit about bananas. Some disagreement exists when it comes to this topic. Numerous sources, including Pattaya Unlimited’s article “Eat to Avoid Mosquito Bites,” notes that some studies show that bananas actually keep mosquitoes away while others show that they attract mosquitoes. Instead of getting all wound up in the debate, it might be best to avoid bananas when you are going to be sitting outside for the day. Instead, lather on a few layers of bug repellent to keep yourself safe and itch-free.

Sweet Foods and Mosquitoes

It probably comes as no shock that mosquitoes are attracted to sweet foods. Whenever you bring out dessert, you probably see them hovering around more than during the rest of the day. Just like many humans, these little bugs truly have a sweet tooth. Sometimes, they are also able to sense it on your being if you have just consumed some delicious treats. Therefore, it is important for you to be careful of your sweets intake. If you are going to put desserts and other treats outside, then you should make sure they are covered up to prevent problems from these pesky bugs.

Salty Foods

During the summer months, people are chowing down on corn and enjoying delicious meats that have just come off the grill. In many cases, they add some extra salt to these foods to make them even more satisfying, but doing so could make you a target for these bugs that you are trying to avoid. “Are You Attracting Mosquitoes?” by Darcy Andries notes that “Foods high in salt or potassium can cause our bodies to produce more lactic acid.” Andries goes on to explain that lactic acid can attract mosquitoes, so these salt foods can make them come on by.

Hot Foods

While the connection here is not direct, one still exists. Andries also explains that mosquitoes are attracted to sweaty. Therefore, if you are perspiring, a mosquito, or a few of them, may be headed your way quite soon. Some people are able to eat spicy foods without a problem. However, others, when enjoying jalapeno peppers on their burger or a nice cup of summer chili, will start to sweat. This combination of potentially salty foods and sweat can make you a target for mosquitoes.

Enjoying The Summer

As you can see, quite a number of summer foods might make mosquitoes view you as a tasty treat. However, you do not want to spend the season sitting inside and avoiding all types of food that have salt or sugar in them. Instead, you need to invest in a bug spray that is safe for you to use, and be sure that you use only the recommended amount at a time. Making some smarter food choices is not always a bad idea either. In addition to keeping those pesky bugs away, doing so might also help you with your summer weight-loss goals.

Indeed, it is true that the foods you eat can bring mosquitoes over to your table. Whether the bugs are attracted to you or to foods that are lying out on your plate, you want to take steps to keep these bugs away as they can carry deadly diseases.

 

What Does a Mosquito Eat, Other Than Me?

Posted on by k2Dev

No doubt mosquitos are pesky little critters. They show up when the weather is warm in the great outdoors and seem to zero in on humans having fun. After a summer night outside, a person can feel like mosquito prey. There is an entire industry built around stopping those annoying insects. Every year people buy bug spray, anti-mosquito candles and even wear mosquito repellent around their necks like garlic for protection against vampires. All this can leave a person wondering if mosquitoes have a taste for something other than human blood.

Ladies Only

One interesting fact about mosquitoes is that only female mosquitoes prey on blood and only during a specific time in their lives, when they are about to lay eggs. A female mosquito needs the protein from blood to feed her little family of baby mosquitoes. This means that all the nasty, even deadly diseases spread by mosquitoes come from the lady mosquitoes.

These blood thirsty girls will bite humans, but they prefer avian blood. A mosquito’s prey of choice is birds. If birds aren’t available, female mosquitoes will look for blood from small, vegetarian mammals. Only after exhausting that supply do they turn to people and larger mammals. Dogs, cows, pigs and sheep are all potential victims. Mosquitoes are responsible for heartworm in dogs, so dog owners should be especially vigilant.

Vegetarian, Please

The most common source of food for mosquitoes, male and female, is nectar from flowers. Like their butterfly and honeybee friends, mosquitoes like to sip sweet goodness from the insides of floral blooms. Mosquitoes are sure to be present a field of wildflowers. They use the nectar for energy to fly. Mosquitoes like this yummy, sweet stuff so much that scientists have experimented with poisoning it. They found that when they lace juices and nectar with insect poison, the mosquitoes will be attracted to the delicious mix and will enjoy their final meals.

I’ll Take Mine Rotted

When not preying on human, bird or mammal blood, mosquitoes do not have a preference for fresh meals. They favor rotted fruit, and they often hang out near fruit trees. That way they can get the nectar from the blooms and eat fruit that has rotted or fallen off the tree. They seem to have a particular craving for cherry tree blossoms and rotten cherries. This is a great advantage to birds who nosh on fallen fruit. Sometimes they will find a rotten cherry, strawberry or peach with a delicious mosquito filling. Along with rotten fruit, researches have also discovered that mosquitoes are attracted to a stinky meal of Limburger cheese.

Insect Attraction

While they don’t eat everything that attracts them, mosquitoes are more likely to fly towards some things than others. Typically they are attracted to certain smells and visual cues. They then choose prey where they’ve flown. They like the smell of items such as shampoos and body lotions, possibly because they associate these smells with flowers. They are attracted to heat and moisture, so they will zone right into someone who is sweating. Mosquitoes also prefer the company of people wearing dark clothing.

But even when a mosquito is looking for blood, humans fall near the bottom of the list. However, knowing that doesn’t make a mosquito bite any less itchy!

 

What and How Do Mosquitoes Eat?

Posted on by k2Dev

When you think about mosquitoes and what they eat, it is not uncommon to instantly think they all live, function, and survive on blood. Surprisingly, that is not entirely the case. In this article you will learn just what and how mosquitoes eat.

What Mosquitoes Eat

Both male and female mosquitoes are also known for feeding upon nectar and plant juices. They usually enjoy eating sugary things and water. This is what gives them energy. When it comes to blood feeding, females are the ones who have a mouth piece that is adapted for piercing through the skin of animals. Females normally are on the hunt for blood when they are in the reproduction process to help get protein for developing eggs. Both plants and blood are great sources of energy for the mosquito.

Believe it or not, there is a genus of mosquito that does not feed upon plants or blood. This species is called the Toxorhynchites mosquito. They are the largest mosquito genus around and will prey on the larvae of other mosquitoes. They have been used throughout time as a mosquito control agent.

Importance of Blood Feeding

When you think about it, female mosquitoes are actually the brave ones. They are constantly risking their lives to make sure they get blood for their new young. When they can not find blood, they have to use a different method to get protein called, autogenous reproduction. This is not their first choice, however.

When it comes to females finding blood, there are quite a few things she is looking for. For one, she is looking for a host that provides an organic substance known as carbon dioxide. That is why most mosquitoes prefer humans over any other type of blood source. And mosquitoes will find their victim simply through our breath and sweat. You might be wondering why would they be hunting us by our sweat? It’s because the mosquito can actually smell the carbon dioxide in our breath and sweat. To mosquitoes, some people’s sweat smells better than others due to varying levels of carbon dioxide in human bodies.

Eating Rituals

Mosquitoes are not picky eaters. They are known as crepuscular feeders, which simply means that they will eat at dawn or dusk. When it is the hottest point of the day, most mosquitoes will prefer to rest inside of a cool place and wait till evening to start their hunt. But some mosquitoes even prefer to continue flying and hunting during the day.

Before a mosquito eats, it injects saliva into the blood sources body. The saliva is an anticoagulant which helps stop the blood from clotting. Once that has been injected, the females will puncture the skin and start to feed, almost like using a needle. This saliva, although beneficial to the mosquito, can be dangerous to humans. The reason is because it is the main source of passing pathogens to our bodies.