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Review
The summer breeze is light and the sun is shining, but with it, a group of uninvited guests - mosquitoes. On hot summer days, they always bother people with their bites, and what is even more troubling is that when a group of people are together, only the unlucky ones may be bitten.
Some say it's related to blood type, but the truth may be far more complicated than you think. Why did mosquitoes choose you in a group of people? In fact, mosquitoes have an ingenious target search system that allows them to choose their bite with ease.
Nasty mosquitoes
Mosquitoes, the name sounds like it has a nasty smell. They are a group of small creatures belonging to the family Diptera, with more than 3,600 species worldwide, and more than 370 species in China.
Structurally, they can be divided into three parts: head, thorax and abdomen, and their body is covered with a layer of scales and tiny fine hairs, and the common colors are grayish-brown, tan or black.
Don't look at the mosquito's small head, in fact, it not only has a pair of sensitive compound eyes, but also a pair of radar-like antennae, and there are some small hairs on the antennae that can sniff out chemicals in the air.
They have a long, thin beak that pierces animal skin and sucks blood or plant juice. It had a pair of wings on its chest, and it flapped rapidly, making that nasty buzzing sound. The abdomen is divided into ten segments, and there is a tail whisker at the very end, which can be expanded and contracted freely.
Mosquitoes undergo a complete metamorphosis throughout their lives, that is, they are completely different from their last adult at birth.
Their eggs are generally laid on the surface of the water, some are scattered, some are clumpy, and some are even drought resistant. Their larvae live in the water and are called "" and have small tubes or stomata that allow them to breathe in the water.
Their food sources are mainly algae and organic detritus, and they sometimes feed on each other. Their pupae are also in the water, able to move, and breathe through the snorkel on their chest. Once the adult emerges from the pupae, it immediately begins a new life in search of food and habitat.
Mosquitoes suck blood, biting humans or animals, causing redness, itching, pain, and even spreading diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
It is worth mentioning that only female mosquitoes suck blood, and it is usually only needed when laying eggs after mating, as the proteins in the blood help the eggs mature.
In contrast, male mosquitoes are vegetarians and will eat honey like bees or drink some soup from plant veins and will not bite people or animals. Different species of mosquitoes also have different preferences, with some preferring human blood and others preferring animal blood. So, how do mosquitoes identify and choose blood-sucking targets?
Like you?
Mosquitoes always seem to bite any random person or animal, as if they only care about whether or not they can successfully draw blood.
However, this is not the case, mosquitoes actually have a sophisticated target search system, they do not fly around blindly, but use their sensory system, combined with a variety of factors, to accurately select the most suitable bite target. So, how exactly do mosquitoes achieve this?
First of all, we need to understand that the sensory system of mosquitoes is mainly composed of three parts: sight, smell, and heat. These three parts play a unique role at different distances and environments, constituting the three stages of a mosquito's search for a target.
Olfactory navigation is the first stage. This stage occurs when the distance between the mosquito and the target is between 10 and 50 meters. Mosquitoes rely primarily on their sense of smell to sense the presence and direction of their targets.
They have an extremely keen sense of smell and can detect airborne chemicals, especially carbon dioxide, through the ring hairs on their antennae. This gas is a product of human and animal exhalation and is a strong signal to mosquitoes that there may be potential blood-sucking subjects nearby.
The mosquito will follow a gradient of carbon dioxide concentration until it approaches its target. In addition to carbon dioxide, mosquitoes can also smell other odors, such as lactic acid, soap, and perfume, which can also influence mosquito choice.
Some scents may increase attractiveness, while others decrease. Different species of mosquitoes have different preferences for smells, some prefer human odors, some prefer animal odors, and some are attracted to both human and animal odors.
The second stage is visual positioning. This stage occurs when the distance between the mosquito and the target is between 5 and 15 meters. At this stage, mosquitoes rely primarily on vision to determine the location and shape of their targets.
The mosquito's visual system is made up of compound eyes, which can be seen as many eyes that grow together, each of which independently receives and communicates visual signals, so that the mosquito can better observe the movement of the target.
Mosquitoes are more sensitive to black and dark objects because they reflect less light and create a stronger contrasting effect. Based on the visual stimulus, the mosquito adjusts its flight direction and moves closer to the target.
In addition to color, mosquitoes can also determine the type and sex of the target based on their size, shape, and movement status, so as to choose the most suitable target for their bite.
The third stage is thermal lock-in. This stage occurs when the distance between the mosquito and the target is within 1 meter. At this stage, the mosquito mainly relies on the heat sensation to lock onto the final location of the target.
The mosquito's thermal sensation is achieved by receptors on the antennae and mouthparts, which are able to sense temperature changes around the target to find the warmest part. Typically, the warmest part is also the part where blood vessels are most abundant and the blood is most easily drawn.
Guided by the sensation of heat, the mosquito flies to the target's skin, pierces the skin with its mouthparts, and begins to suck blood. During this process, the mosquito also secretes a type of saliva that prevents blood from clotting while paralyzing the target's nerves and reducing pain.
However, it is important to note that this saliva may cause an immune response from the target, causing symptoms such as redness, swelling, itching, and even the possibility of transmitting some pathogens, such as malaria parasites, dengue virus, and heartworms.
The process by which mosquitoes choose their targets is not fixed, and they are also influenced by many external factors such as wind direction, season, and time.
In addition, each person or animal has unique characteristics, such as body odor, blood type, dietary Xi, etc., which may affect mosquitoes' preference for them. As a result, there is a scientific truth to the fact that some people are more likely to be targeted by mosquitoes, while others are more resistant to mosquitoes.
epilogue
Understanding the complex process of mosquito target selection can help us prevent mosquito bites more scientifically. Whether it's avoiding periods when mosquitoes are active, or taking scientifically effective mosquito repellent measures, it can help reduce the chance of bites. In the fight against these little ones, we may be able to find more effective ways to make our summer days cooler and more comfortable.
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