Need… blood… NOW!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Mosquitoes need blood to lay eggs! But if they are carrying disease, that’s bad news for their hosts. In Brazil, tracking feeding habits helps prevent dengue and Zika outbreaks. But what happens if mosquitoes suddenly lose their home?
Enter Dálete Cássia Vieira Alves and team from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro.
They studied mosquitoes from a largely deforested area. With fewer animals — or a smaller menu — who would they prefer?
They studied sixty female mosquitoes, across nine species. And? And? Humans topped the menu!
So saving the forests is not only good for our planet… it’s a matter of ‘blood-or-death’ for mosquitoes!
Reference: Alves, D. C. V. et al. Aspects of the blood meal of mosquitoes (Diptera: culicidae) during the crepuscular period in Atlantic Forest remnants of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Front. Ecol. Evol. 14, 1721533 (2026).