Why do Only Female Mosquitoes Bite and Drink Blood?
Only female mosquitoes are equipped with mouth parts capable of biting in to human skin to drink blood. Male mosquitoes survive largely on a diet of nectar from flowers. Female mosquitoes also drink nectar to provide the energy for flight but they also need blood as a source of iron and protein to boost their ability to reproduce.
Female mosquitoes are well equipped to bite humans and convert the lipids in blood in to iron and proteins. A mosquito can drink more than their own body weight in blood and the effect on their ability to reproduce is impressive. A female mosquito can produce up to 200 eggs after feeding on blood compared to maybe a dozen at best if surviving on nectar alone.
