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How Do Mosquitos Hunt?

There are more than 150 different kinds of mosquitoes in the United States, and the insect is found in all 50 states. Mosquitoes are able to breed in almost any small area of standing water. Mosquitoes can transfer numerous diseases to humans, including malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever and several varieties of encephalitis. Only the females bite because they need blood to fertilize their eggs. Their ability to find and attack targets is quite efficient.

  1. Smell

    • Humans breathe in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide with every breath. Carbon dioxide occurs naturally in the air, but the mosquito has sensors on its antennae and is able to detect a higher concentration of the gas. The mosquito initially uses the smell of this carbon dioxide to locate a potential target. It follows the stream of CO2 toward the host. Body odor, perfumes, detergents, deodorants and other odors can increase or decrease the attraction.

    Heat and Sight

    • Mosquitoes can detect the heat of the potential host. Exercise and perspiration increase body heat, attracting more mosquitoes. Dark-colored clothes tend to retain heat, thus making the target more appealing to the mosquito. Lighter-colored clothes are less attractive. Mosquitoes also are able to visually home in on the target from about 30 feet.

    Probing

    • After landing, the female finds a good place to bite by examining heat and chemicals on a target's skin. It also will insert a part of its proboscis into the skin to locate blood vessels. Once found, the mosquito inserts saliva into the wound. The saliva numbs the area, thus preventing the host from feeling the bite. It also contains an anticoagulant that keeps the blood from clotting in the wound.

    Feeding

    • The mosquito, upon finding blood, begins sucking it up the proboscis using pumps in the mouth. At the same time, the insect continues injecting the anticoagulant down an inner tube of the nose. It also injects a vasodilator into the wound to increase blood flow. The mosquito is able to do all this simultaneously because of the complex structure of the proboscis. The saliva contains any disease pathogens and this is how they are transmitted to the target.

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