Misery loves company, so the next time a mosquito or other fly (yes, mosquitoes are a kind of fly) bites you, take comfort knowing that you were not its first choice. Most other animals rank higher on the menu than humans do, if biting flies have the choice.
Mosquitoes
The Hosts
A victim of a blood-feeding insect or arachnid is called a “host.” Mosquitoes are often specialists, targeting only one particular kind of host. Believe it or not, birds (as opposed to humans) are a primary host for many mosquito species. West Nile Virus is primarily an avian (bird) disease. Still other mosquitoes feed exclusively on the blood of frogs or other amphibians.
Seasonal Shifts in Appetite
Mosquitoes may also shift their host preference seasonally, taking advantage of the brief abundance of vulnerable victims such as Black-crowned Night-heron nestlings in the case of the mosquito Culex tarsalis.
Once the chicks fledge, the mosquitoes are forced to look to cattle, other livestock, and sometimes people for a blood meal.
No-see-ums
These biting gnats cause pain all out of proportion to their size, but they still would prefer to bite birds or other mammals, like their mosquito kin. Perhaps a majority of no-see-ums suck the blood of other insects, or prey directly on non-biting midges and other tiny insects.
Horse Flies & Deer Flies
These large biting flies have mouthparts designed to penetrate the thick hides of large mammals, and they are rarely found where those animals are absent. Globally, some species feed on cold-blooded vertebrates.
You may notice horse or deer flies pursuing your vehicle as you drive down the road. Their eyesight is poor, and they assume the car or truck is a deer, elk, horse, cow, or other large mammal.
Black Flies
Like mosquitoes and no-see-ums, black flies are adapted to dine on other mammals, and also birds. Some species do not feed on blood at all.
Here’s An Idea….
It may pay to landscape your yard and garden to be wildlife-friendly. The more alternate hosts for biting flies the better, right? Still, someone needs to do a study to see whether more natural landscaping truly influences the abundance of mosquitoes and other biting flies, or at least alters their behavior.
Meanwhile, we should be thankful that mosquitoes don’t seek us out more often, given that we don’t have feathers or fur to protect our vulnerable skin. Plus, we have repellents like Ben’s to protect us, and After Bite products to stop the itch if we do get bit.