Sandra Lee Krizan, age 9, of Milwaukee, Wis., for her question:
Does a mosquito die after she bites?
We all know that a bee dies after she stings. Her poisoned spear is a defensive weapon and Nature allows her to use it only once, She uses it when she feels that her life is in danger or when the safety of the hive is threatened. The mosquito, however, stings when she feeds and she feeds several times during her short life, her sting is not a weapon, it is merely a means of getting her dinner.
The buzzy mosquito feeds, of course, on blood ‑ fresh blood. Her victim must be living and for all she knows she leaves him in perfect health. She does not mean to cause that nasty bump which smarts and itches hours after she has buzzed on her way. So let's forgive her long enough to study how she stings and we are almost certain to admire how she does it.
The job is done with the mosquito's amazing beak, Actually it is an elaborate operating kit on a miniature scalp. It include; the stiff beak, which is really a set of perfect little tools, and a pair of sensitive feelers called palpi. The tools in the beak are enclosed in a sheath of skin which is actually an extension of the mosquito's lower lip. It furl back when the tools are in use,
Mr. Mosquitoes beak is not so well developed. Ha cannot pierce the skin of a person or animal. Therefore ho cannot be a bloodsucking little vampire. He dines on the juices of fruit and plants. Mrs. Mosquito is the vampire of the family and, when you hear her droning buzz you may be sure she is seeking out a victim.
When she chooses her victim she zooms in for a landing lighter than the lightest feather. Then she uses her palpi to seek out a nice soft spot where a small blood vessel is near the surface. Next she lowers her beak into position and the operation begins,
She begins by using a pair of tiny daggers and a pair of miniature saws. They make a delicate opening in the skin but the mosquito's touch is so light that you do not feel a thing. The next tool to be used is an injection tube. Lady mosquitoes were using hypodermic needles long before they were invented by human beings,
The reason for this injection is to stop the blood from clotting ‑ for Mrs. Vampire must have fresh liquid blood, Then she lowers her last tool which is a syphon to suck up her red liquid dinner. When she has finished, the tools are put away, and off the little lady buzzes to clean herself and digest her dinner in a quiet place, it about this time you begin to suspect trouble. The liquid which was injected. to prevent clotting begins to seep through the small blood vessel and causes the flesh to irritate. It swells, itches, smarts and you know for sure that you have been stung by a mosquito. Meantime the lady vampire is cleaning her tool kit in readiness for another operation.