by Elia Caneppele
21 March 2025
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What are mosquitoes for? Here are 10 curiosities about mosquitoes to know them better!
Mosquitoes arrive with the heat and always leave too late . In late winter they still give us nasty surprises, hiding in the shower or among the coats in the closet. Let's face it, mosquitoes are really annoying insects and we don't understand what they're for? Here, exactly.
What are mosquitoes for? That's the reason for this short article about mosquito curiosities. We will show you that mosquitoes do not only have defects, but also 10 good curious reasons for existing.
I'm Elia Caneppele, digital entrepreneur and founder of Windowo. I can't wait to take this journey into nature with you: let's see together what mosquitoes are for and why buying a good mosquito net is not a bad idea.
1. Curiosity: How many species of mosquitoes exist?
We learned about the "homegrown mosquito", the one from the Po Valley. Finally we discovered the famous "tiger mosquito", the one imported from abroad, therefore bad by nature. But how many types of mosquitoes exist in the world? Researchers count at least 3000 species of mosquitoes , of which 70 are present in Italy. So let's dispel the false myth of the mosquito.
And if there are so many, where are they and why do we always see the same ones? The answer is simple. Only some mosquitoes attack the human species. Most of them prefer other animals: birds, amphibians and invertebrates.
2. Curiosity: What do male mosquitoes eat?
"A mosquito bit me." How many times have we said that? Maybe next time we should be more specific and say that we were bitten by a female mosquito, and a fertile one at that. In fact, only female, fertilized mosquitoes suck blood. The reason is that blood is rich in proteins that are very important for the development of eggs . So what do male mosquitoes eat? Males feed mainly on flower nectar.
If you don't like being "sucked" by female mosquitoes , the Bettio mosquito nets that we recommend for this season are:
Neoscenica Bettio - mosquito net for doors, without taking up floor space;
Virtus by Bettio - mosquito net for doors, innovative but at a reasonable price;
Estetika Bettio - mosquito net for windows, anti-bedbug and wind resistant.
3. Curiosity: Why do mosquito bites itch?
How annoying it is when mosquitoes bite. We feel like scratching all the time, even though we know it doesn't do much good. Why then do mosquito bites cause that annoying itch? The answer is that mosquito saliva contains an anticoagulant , a substance that prevents blood from thickening. The coagulant is used to suck blood more easily, and the itching is caused by our immune system fighting against this substance. So we can say that it is not the mosquitoes that cause the itching, but our body.
4. Fun fact: Do mosquitoes love beer festivals?
Many of us have noticed that mosquitoes especially chase those who drink alcohol, beer, or wine. To explain why, science comes to the rescue once again. The reason could be this: those who drink alcohol produce a higher amount of acetone, ethanol, and methanol, which exits our body through sweat.
But let's dispel another myth . Mosquitoes are not attracted to alcohol and beer parties. Mosquitoes are generally attracted to carbon dioxide , produced through breath and skin, and lactic acid, sensing it up to 30 meters away. So drink as much as you want!
5. Curiosity: why do mosquitoes go zzzzzzzz?
This curiosity is mainly linked to the half-sleep and the terrible suffering caused by the buzzing of mosquitoes. A warning, as if to say: "we are coming". Or a signal of some kind? That annoying buzz is due to the very fast flapping of the wings . Consider that mosquitoes flap their wings 300 to 600 times per second. To make a comparison, the hummingbird that has the fastest wing beat among birds, flaps its wings from 12 to 80 times per second. There is no contest!
According to some scientists, the buzzing of the male mosquito is a love call capable of attracting female mosquitoes.
6. What are mosquitoes for?
Useless annoying insects, what are mosquitoes for? Nature teaches us that everything is useful. If male and female mosquitoes exist, it is because there is a very specific purpose. Perhaps you do not know that some mosquitoes are essential to feed birds that migrate from one country to another.
For example, we can talk about the mosquito species Aedes impiger and Aedes nigripes, which are part of the diet of insects, birds, amphibians and fish. There are even flowers that are pollinated by mosquitoes, for example some orchids of the Platanthera family. In this regard, watch this scene about mosquitoes from the cartoon Lilo & Stitch!
7. How long do mosquitoes live?
You will be surprised to know that mosquitoes live up to 5-6 months without moving too far from their nest, a very long time in the insect world. To give other examples, flies live up to 1 month, while ants have a maximum life of 3 weeks. That's why there are mosquitoes forgotten between shelves and furniture that jump out at the most inopportune moments :) There are even mosquitoes that can live for months moving up to 150 km from home.
8. Are mosquitoes dangerous?
As we have said, there are many species of mosquitoes. In Italy alone we count 70 types. Many species are not dangerous, and in fact we do not get sick from their bites. However, there are some mosquitoes that transmit very dangerous and deadly diseases.
According to the Lancet magazine, for example, mosquito-borne malaria kills 1.2 million people every year. This is due to poverty, lack of cleanliness and the lack of protection systems such as sheets and mosquito nets. In Italy we put up mosquito nets because mosquitoes bother us a lot, but in some countries, mosquito nets are even life-saving systems.
Male mosquitoes are like young millennials. They party at night, and especially love partying with others. They are less active in the afternoon because it is hot and therefore they prefer to stay cool. They come out when the sun goes down.
10. What colors are they attracted to?
Some scientific tests developed between 1938 and 1955 have shown that mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, especially black, followed by red and blue . Maybe Al Bano knows more than all of us. The same tests show that mosquitoes are not very attracted to light colors like white. But this is not true for all species. So come on, dress however you want based on the fashion of the moment!
10+1. Are there any natural methods against mosquitoes?
If all these scientific curiosities have not convinced you, and you continue to think that mosquitoes are not very useful, here is one last curiosity. This time it is a tip to keep male mosquitoes away (please) discreetly and with respect for the natural environment.
Is there something that mosquitoes hate? A remedy to keep them away? Yes, the oil extracted from catnip is an excellent natural system to chase away insects such as mosquitoes . According to some studies, this type of oil would be even more powerful than DEET (diethyltoluamide), one of the most effective insect repellents.
If you want to have peace of mind in your home, we recommend the most effective method, which is to install sliding and window mosquito nets.
I'm Elia Caneppele, author of this article and founder of Windowo, the Italian shop specialising in the online sale of products for windows. My speciality is doing SEO for ecommerce, which, in simple terms, means getting people to find us on the Internet.
Since 2014 I have been a digital entrepreneur and, in addition to managing Windowo, I also deal with the communication of Autismo.it. I create content trying to convey as much value as possible to our customers.
Want to improve your e-commerce ranking? Once a month, I offer SEO consulting for struggling online stores. Contact me on my social media to schedule a free call.
