News Health & Medicine

Male mosquitoes sometimes suck, too

While males can’t draw blood like females, they’ll still dine on it in the right circumstances

A male mosquito is seen in profile against a lime green background.

Male mosquitoes like this Aedes aegypti normally go for nectar, but some will drink blood when humidity is low, surprising new experiments show.

CDC/Science Source

By Tina Hesman Saey

Male mosquitoes may be nearly as bloodthirsty as females under certain conditions, new research suggests. That upends the notion that only female mosquitoes bite, drink blood and spread diseases while males sip nectar.