The next time that mosquito goes in for the kill, you'll know it's a she.
Only the female mosquitoes bite. Mosquitoes live on sugar found in plant nectar, not on blood. So what's all the biting about? The females can't produce fertile eggs without the proteins found in blood. They need a new blood meal for every nest they lay, and they LOVE to lay, about 250 eggs per meal. Female mosquitoes are the ones with the proboscis, a long needle-like built-in syringe on their mouth. They've also got chemical sensory receptors to help them zero in on a blood source from 100 feet away.
Female mosquitos have a much longer life span than the guys, up to several weeks. The males, only about 4-5 days, they die after mating.
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