What is the entire process of mosquito bites on humans?
The mosquito bite process can be divided into five stages:
Step 2 - Locating the skin: Mosquitoes use sensors in their antennae and body to locate the skin. These sensors can detect characteristics such as skin temperature and moisture.
Step 3 - Bite process: When the mosquito locates the skin, it will use its long and thin mouthparts to pierce the skin to find blood vessels. The mouthpart is made up of six different needles, two of which penetrate the skin, while the other four are used to grip the skin, hold the mosquito in place, and inject saliva into the skin.
Step 4 - Suck blood: After the mosquito injects saliva, its saliva contains an anticoagulant that allows the blood to flow more easily, making it easier for the mosquito to suck. There is also a tube in the mosquito's mouthparts through which the mosquito can suck blood. As the mosquito begins to suck blood, its saliva continues to inject into the skin, which can cause discomfort such as itching and swelling.
Step 5 - Fly away: When the mosquito has finished sucking the blood, it will fly away. The blood does not stop flowing until the anticoagulant effect wears off. At this time, some bruising and itching will appear on the skin.
Overall, the process of mosquito bites on humans is a complex process involving many biological and chemical reactions. Even though the mosquito is a tiny insect, it has a big impact on our health and lives.
When zoomed in, the mouthparts of mosquitoes are as terrifying as those of "alien species"
Although a mosquito is a very tiny insect, its mouthparts do look scary under a microscope.
Observed under a microscope, the shape and tiny structure of these needles can make people feel scared. They look so much like aliens!
The mosquito's mouthparts are composed of six different needles, two of which can penetrate the skin, and the remaining four needles are used to fix the mosquito's position and inject saliva.
The mouthparts of mosquitoes include sheath mouthparts, upper jaw, lower jaw, lower lip, gills, hyoid bone and stylet.
● The sheath-type mouthparts are composed of upper and lower sheaths, which cover other parts respectively, forming a long tubular structure. The inside of the sheath mouthparts is a slender tube through which the mosquito can inject saliva into the host's skin and then suck the host's blood through the tube.
● The upper and lower jaws are one of the two main parts of a mosquito's mouthparts and are located at the top of the sheath-like mouthparts. The upper and lower jaws are held together by a series of joints that move freely, allowing the mosquito to insert them into the host's skin.
● The lower lip is the other major part of the mosquito mouthparts, located at the base of the sheath-like mouthparts. The lower lip consists of two small blades that act like scissors to cut through the host's skin so that the mosquito can insert its upper and lower jaws into the skin.
● The gills are the two sides of the mosquito's mouthparts, and they play a role in sucking blood. There are some small capillaries inside the gills, which carry the sucked blood to the mosquito's digestive system.
● The hyoid bone is a small part of the mosquito mouthparts, located at the base of the sheath-like mouthparts. The hyoid bone is used to probe the host's skin so that the mosquito can find the best spot for a blood meal.
● The stylet is the final part of the mosquito's mouthparts. It is a long and slender tube located at the bottom of the sheath mouthparts. The stylet can penetrate the host's skin, inject saliva into the host's skin, and then draw blood through this tube.
The mosquito's mouthparts are a very complex structure, consisting of multiple parts, each with its own unique function. The tight combination of these structures allows the mosquito to successfully suck the blood of its host.
When a mosquito needs to suck blood, it will use its lower lip to insert the stylet into the host's skin, while other parts will extend outward to help the mosquito fixate and stabilize.
Let’s take a look at the entire process of mosquitoes sucking blood through a set of animations——
First of all, because the structure of the mosquito's lower lip resembles a sword sheath, it is also called the "sheath-like lower lip." When a mosquito sucks blood, its lower lip expands like a scabbard, allowing other mouthparts to penetrate the skin smoothly. There are some special cells on the lower lip of mosquitoes that can secrete saliva. This saliva contains some anticoagulants and analgesic ingredients, which can help mosquitoes suck blood smoothly.
Then, two parts of the mosquito, the upper and lower jaws, are responsible for cutting through the skin - the upper jaw is long and slender and sharp, and the lower jaw is like a razor and has barbs. Such a structure allows the mosquito to cut through tissue and prevents the mouthparts from sliding while exploring blood vessels. The mouthparts of mosquitoes have excellent cutting speed and flexibility, so they can easily find blood vessels on the surface of the skin and suck blood, as shown below:
Finally, once the mosquito's mouthparts "detect" human blood vessels, the upper lip and tongue begin to function.
When it sucks blood, it first needs to inject some special substances and then suck blood. Therefore, the two pipes of the upper lip and tongue each perform different tasks, and their flow directions are also different. Although the tongue is located relatively forward in the mosquito's mouthparts, it is actually the upper lip that is responsible for sucking blood. The function of the tongue is to inject mosquito saliva into the blood vessels.
Okay, this is the entire microscopic process of mosquito bites us
However, in daily life, we don’t need to worry too much. Although mosquito bites may cause some discomfort to humans, through preventive measures, the discomfort caused by mosquito bites can be effectively reduced.
We still need to pay more attention to mosquito repellent products. After all, with good mosquito repellent products close by, mosquitoes will disappear without a trace, especially the three nasty mosquitoes mentioned earlier. Take good protection to keep them away day and night. we!
