Why Do Mosquitoes Bites Itch?

Mosquitoes are perhaps one of the creator’s greatest creatures.  You may regard these little biting insects as an irritant, pests of even worse spreaders and vectors of terrible diseases and plagues like malaria - yet there is no getting away from the facts that for their purposes they are marvelously designed.  Yet for most people it’s a question of how do I deal and treat mosquito bites themselves.

Mosquito Bites Can Happen Any Time of Year Even On Winter Vacations to Mexico and the Tropics:
You might think of mosquitoes and their bites as only a summertime issue.  Yet take a winter trip to the tropics or even Mexico and there you will be – buzz, buzz, buzz, slap and then an itching bite on your forearm, leg or wherever on your body or skin.

Why & Which of These Bugs Bite & Feed Blood:
First things first.  Why to begin with do mosquitoes bite and draw blood from human?   Like any other living creature these bugs need to procreate and reproduce.  Only female mosquitoes “bite” and draw blood.  The blood is used to feed the female’s eggs and brood to reproduce.  Yet while biting, to draw the blood itself, the female mosquito deposits and leaves behind saliva into the bite area itself.  This left behind insect saliva is not inert – it contains proteins that can and often does cause the bit person’s immune system to react to these foreign (non-body) substances as not being of the human host.  Just as your body rids itself every day of infectious bacteria that can cause an illness in you- it tries to get rid of this foreign proteins left behind in the bug’s saliva compound.  The result of your body’s immune system doing this job is that red often raised bump and even an itch at the bite area or areas.

The Red Bite Mark – Red, Hot & Raised:
The red or pink raised skin of a mosquito bite or bites can appear right away or even take a couple of days to appear.  It need not appear just after the bite or even as the bug flies away – fully laden with a bit of your tasty (at least to female mosquitoes) bug.  On top of that different people react in differing degrees to that bite. Some have no effect whereas others seem to get a major response.  In some people what may hardly be an issue one year – next season - or a different type of mosquito while in a different region while vacationing causes them a major swelling episode requiring medical treatment and the administration of an injected anti-histamine medication.

Some People React & Have More Swelling To the Bug Saliva than Others:
 If there are any patterns seen by medical health care providers experienced and involved with treatment of mosquito bites and their resulting swellings and irritations is that sensitivity to mosquito bites seems to decrease with age – that is if you have been bitten several times throughout your lifetime.  Secondly those children whom have not had many mosquito bites in their brief lives seem to experience the strongest and longest reactions after being bitten.

Conclusion:  Mosquito Bites Are To Be Expected in the Summer & Tropics - Cover Yourself at Dusk & Apply Mosquito Repellants.

So in summary while mosquitoes are actually a remarkable creature and if anything should be respected – you will get a bite and often a red or raised irritated area after being bitten.  Mosquitoes do bite.  It’s a fact of life and the great outdoors in the summer and in the tropics.  It’s best not to go out in the dusk, when they feed the most, cover yourself and your arms with clothing and apply mosquito repellant liberally when necessary and recommended.

Laura C. Elnerrat

Medical Care Practioner - specializing in Reflexology treatment regimes

Spanish as well as English language treatment Lyme disease is a concern when traveling - patients should take care to note any small bites - not only from mosquitoes but also from Lyme Disease carrying ticks - whose bites may be smaller and disappear very quickly  Lyme disease bites should be take seriously as well