What happens when a mosquito bites you? How does a mosquito work? To answer these questions, we need to look at the body and lifespan of a mosquito.

The mosquito has three segments to it’s body; the head, thorax and abdomen. The head of the mosquito contains three types of sensors which it uses to track down it’s victim. The head is also home to the proboscis (females only). The proboscis is a long piercing device used to puncture the skin. Wings and legs are attached to the thorax, and the mosquitoes fuel tank, or abdomen, is attached to the thorax. It’s a sleak design perfected for one thing; finding and sucking blood. With such a pathetic purpose it’s not surprising the mosquito lifespan is only a few weeks.

The mosquito hatches from eggs and goes through various stages of maturity on it’s way to adulthood. Eggs are laid in water. (That’s why it’s important to remove any areas of standing water you may have. Change the water in your birdbath frequently during hot summer weeks. This will help eliminate the possibility of eggs being laid.)

The first two stages occur in the water. (You can use a homemade mosquito repellent to kill them when they enter this stage.) Larvae hatch from the eggs. During this stage, they use a siphon to breathe above water, but spend their time molting and swimming underneath the surface. Pupae form after the larva molts four times. The pupae float on top of the water, breathing through tubes called trumpets. At the end of this stage, the pupae form into adults. They form wings and can fly.

When a female mosquito lands on you, she’ll puncture your skin with her proboscis. The mosquitoe’s saliva contains anticoagulants that keep it’s victim’s blood from clotting. A female mosquito will suck enough blood to fill it’s abdomen. Treating the mosquito bite should be done as soon as possible to help relieve the itch. If you’re on the go, you may want to stay prepared by carrying a quick remedy to stop the mosquito bite itch.

Using a repellent that works is your first step in avoiding having this process occur. Sometimes it’s difficult to avoid, but next time you get bit you’ll know how the mosquito bite works.

Learning how a mosquito bite works, and what attracts these flying pests can give us a heads up on finding effective mosquito repellents. Repellent Review is going to give a little biology lesson on how mosquitoes work. We’ll begin with how a mosquito finds you, and how bug deterrents are used to combat this.

Mosquitoes have been buzzing the earth for over 30 million years. You’d think with that much time us humans could have created an effective mosquito repellent that would rid the planet of these insects by now! Unfortunately, mosquitoes have taken those years to refine their craft and sharpen their skills of biting and sucking the blood out of any creature that lives.

How do they do it? Mosquitoes are equipped with 3 types of sensors used to target their victim. The first sensor detects chemicals. Carbon dioxide emissions can be tracked from a distance as far as 100 feet. Every time you let out a breath, you’re inviting a trip from a mosquito. We suggest you continue breathing though. The consequences of stopping would not be positive. Sweat also contains chemicals sensed by the mosquito. Most types of mosquito repellent work by masking these chemicals.

Visually, a mosquito looks for moving targets. This is the second way a mosquito hones in on their prey. If it’s moving, it’s probably alive. Moving automobiles are often mistaken for live prey. Next time you wash your car windshield, remember this and smile. Your car probably acts as the best mosquito repellent possible on those cool summer evening drives.

Wearing clothing that blends with the environment is thought to cut down on mosquitoes being able to see you. A mosquito will use it’s vision to track anything that moves against a contrasting background. When someone comes out with camouflage mosquito repellent clothing, we’ll be sure to review it!

The third sensor used by mosquitoes is heat. That’s why you’ll hardly ever find a mosquito hanging out by the morgue. Morbid we know, but not as bad as spending your lifespan targeting and hunting down victims so you can suck their blood. Most bug zappers take advantage of the heat sensor.

Learning the different techniques mosquitoes use to hunt humans down, allows us to find ways to repel them. With mosquitoes existing for so many years, we’ll probably always have to deal with them. It’s usually possible though, to find an effective mosquito repellent to keep us safe.