Thirsty mosquitoes seek blood, according to reports in ScienceDaily 1 May 2018 and Scientific Reports 1 May 2018, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-24893-z.

Scientists at University of Cincinatti were studying the effect of dry conditions on mosquitoes when some of the mosquitoes escaped from a laboratory container.  They noticed the dehydrated mosquitoes were very aggressive and tried to bite.

The laboratory normally breeds mosquitoes in a controlled environment, described by one student working the lab as the Ritz-Carlton for mosquitoes – a pleasantly warm 82oF (27.8oC) with water and nectar to feed from, and places the lay their eggs.  Females need extra iron and protein to lay their eggs, so they are supplied with chicken blood in tiny containers covered with a membrane.

The researchers were surprised to find how few females sought blood meals when they were living in conditions with plenty of water and nectar.  According to Joshua Benoit, one of the researchers, “Normally only 5 or 10 percent of female mosquitoes will feed at any time, depending on the species.  Dehydration has a big impact on whether they feed normally or not.”  However, up to 30 percent of thirsty mosquitoes sought blood.  The results of these experiments fit with records of disease outbreaks.

Yanyu Xiao, another of the researchers explained: “In my literature review, I found that typical disease infection wasn’t over the summertime but in transitory times when water levels shrink and the flowers dry up.”


Editorial Comment: We are often asked why God made mosquitoes, when they seem to do nothing but cause irritation and spread diseases by biting people. Yet it’s a recorded fact that no diseases are recorded to till well after Noah’s Flood after summer and winter have hit full swing.

This study is a good reminder that biting people and spreading disease is the result of post-flood environmental degeneration, not because mosquitoes were created that way.  Genesis tells us God created a very good world and gave all the animals plants to eat.  As the mosquito breeding lab described above reminds us, mosquitoes normally live on water and nectar, and do not try to bite people if they have enough of these.

In the original very good world, dehydration was not a problem for any animals.  The ground was watered each day by rising mist, and there were no extreme seasons and extreme environments, such as deserts.  Therefore, there would be water and flowering plants with nectar available all the time.

After the Noah’s flood the environment degenerated rapidly, and as God warned Noah, there are now summer and winter seasons and times of cold and heat (Genesis 8:22).  This means there are now places without water and flowers for long periods.  Therefore, insects seek other sources of fluids and food.  Animal and human blood is a good source of both.

It is true that female mosquitos don’t get enough iron and protein for egg laying from water and nectar alone in present day conditions, but that is because the plants have also degenerated, and mossies need to seek an alternative solution, literally your blood.  Even insects with such microscopic brains know what nutrients they need to survive, and they will seek them out wherever they can.  If the good source that God originally provided is no longer available they will try something else.


Evidence News vol. 18, No. 5
30 May 2018
Creation Research Australia