Rachel Interviews Molly the Mosquito

"Good morning, boys and girls. I'm Rachel Scott, the host of Bugs Beyond Belief. I have a very deadly guest today, but you'd never know it by her size. She's smaller than half an inch long, but she and her kind have been responsible for more human deaths than any other insect. Please give her a warm welcome. She's Molly the Mosquito."


"Thanks, Rachel. I hope you don't mind that I drink while I'm here."


"No problem, Molly. What is that, fruit punch?"


"Rachel, it's actually blood. I really love it. I just can't get enough of it. I'm sorry if it's a little disgusting to you, but that's a lot of what we girl mosquitoes do."


"It's more than just a little disgusting. It's a lot disgusting. Now I notice that you're drinking that out of a sippy cup. Do mosquitoes normally drink blood out of plastic dishware?"


"Of course not. No, we prefer to buzz around and land on humans and animals and stick our needle-like mouths into their skin. If I didn't have this cup, I'd be very tempted to jump on your arm and suck your blood, Rachel."


"I'm glad you haven't. And I think I'd notice it, anyway. Your bites itch and even sting a little bit. I've been known to slap at mosquitoes when they bite me."


"But lots of times you don't. Many animals don't have any way to keep us off them. So we fly around sucking blood from whatever we can find."


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