We have all been there! We see a mosquito on our arm, and instinctively smash it. Then, we see the resulting smear of blood on our skin, and wonder, “Whose blood is that?!?”
Female mosquitoes suck your blood, but don’t administer blood during a bite.
This is a common question among those seeking Central Mass mosquito control. The good AND bad news in this situation is that it’s likely YOUR blood. Bad news that you have been bitten by a female mosquito. Good news that you do not have someone else’s blood on your skin after the mosquito slaying. You see, mosquitoes do not typically move from one person to the next to bite. When a female mosquito feeds on your blood, she will go off to digest the nutrients, and carry on to bite another person after this process is carried out.
Mosquitoes spread malaria and Zika. Can’t they spread HIV or hepatitis?
NO! Scientifically speaking, mosquitoes do not transmit blood-borne pathogens from person to person. They might bite a human, who is infected with HIV or hepatitis, but they do not pass those diseases to the next person. When a female mosquito bites an infected human, she digests their blood completely. The mosquito’s gut breaks down diseases, such as HIV. HIV circulates in human blood at very slight levels, and if it were even possible for mosquitoes to pass HIV, they would have to bite you 10,000,000 times – yes, TEN MILLION BITES! Mosquitoes do not have the anatomy of humans. Hepatitis, for instance, requires a liver to survive. Mosquitoes do not have livers. Swatting or swallowing a mosquito will not give you HIV or hepatitis!
This female mosquito has just had her blood meal. She’s ready to retreat to digest the blood before her next meal.
How mosquitoes pass mosquito-borne diseases, but not blood-borne pathogens, which cause hepatitis and HIV.
Female mosquitoes bite in order to obtain nutrients from human blood to produce eggs. When she bites, one tube of her mouth’s anatomy actually injects saliva for lubrication to aid in getting blood. The blood is sucked through a second tube, which only moves fluid in one direction – towards the mosquito. Because mosquito-borne illnesses, such as Zika and malaria are passed through mosquito saliva, mosquitoes are able to pass them to humans. Mosquitoes never pass blood from one host to the next – the structure of their mouths make that an impossibility!
While it’s gross when we swallow or swat a bloody mosquito, have no fear! The blood you see is probably yours, and even if it were someone else’s blood, the amount is so small that contact with said blood would not be able to pass enough blood-borne pathogens to make you sick.
Central Mass mosquito control eliminates the worry!
Protect your yard this summer with an EPA-registered or all-natural mosquito spray.
One way to avoid the stresses of mosquito-borne diseases invading your family, is to prevent the mosquitoes altogether! A reputable, licensed mosquito control company will offer a number of solutions for your Central Mass home and family. Mosquito barrier protection is the most effective solution. With one mosquito treatment, your yard will be up to 95% rid of mosquitoes for about three weeks. The initial mosquito spray will eliminate mosquitoes on contact, and continue to eliminate them with an encapsulated, time-released formula for a few weeks thereafter. Your family can continue to enjoy your yard 30 after the spray is applied! If you are interested in an all-natural mosquito spray, those are also available! These formulas are made up of concentrated essential oils, and act as a mosquito repellent. All-natural mosquito protection will rid your yard of up to 85% of mosquitoes for about two weeks!
Dave Macchia, Mosquito Control Enthusiast