What makes the mosquito bite so itchy?
By Xavier Bage
@franxav (14253)
India
August 21, 2025 12:55pm CST
I couldn't see the villain, it was so tiny. But. I knew it was one of the million that are flying about ever ready to land on the skin of an earth dweller and feed on his blood. From the message I'm receiving from my foot I understand that a mosquito must have bitten me. A tiny spot on my left foot has been badly itching for the last an hour.
That makes me wonder what makes the mosquito bite so itchy. Technically , a mosquito can't bite as it doesn't have teeth. It has a needlelike structure at its mouth. The needle is like a suction pipe through which it pumps inits saliva. We are told that the saliva contains proteins that felicitate sucking of blood easier for the mosquito. However, we human body reacts to the foreign substance . The itching is a natural reaction to the allergen inserted by the mosquito, to put it simply. I'm sure some person more intelligent than me can describe it better'.
5 people like this
4 responses
@rina110383 (24661)
•
4h
You actually explained it really well! Mosquitoes may be tiny, but the itch they leave behind is definitely not. It’s amazing (and annoying) how something so small can cause such a big reaction. I usually end up scratching way too much, which only makes it worse. Do you have any tricks for easing the itch when it happens?
1 person likes this
@rina110383 (24661)
•
2h
@LeaPea2417 Anti-itch cream really helps calm the irritation fast. I sometimes also use a cold compress if it’s extra itchy—it works wonders!
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (88183)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
Just now
I hate mosquitoes but luckily have not been bothered by any since I keep to my apartment,
@snowy22315 (194748)
• United States
31m
I haven't gotten any mosquito bites for awhile, but friend's dog seems to have fleas sometimes and I have been bit by them. That isn't pleasant either.
@DaddyEvil (157373)
• United States
2h
You've explained the cause well enough... Would you like to know how to make it stop itching now?
If your wife or one of the girls in the home have a hairdryer, borrow it for a few minutes. Set the heat setting on the hairdryer as high as it will go and bring it close to the mosquito bite and turn it on... Be careful not to touch the hairdryer to your foot. The end of it can burn your skin. You only need to keep the hot air blowing on the mosquito bite long enough that the bite stops itching. Turn the hairdryer off.
One thing, the mosquito bite might start itching again in about half an hour. Repeat what you just did with the hairdryer until it stops itching again. You should be completely done this time.
What you were doing with the hairdryer is denaturing the proteins in the mosquito saliva which stops the itching. When it started itching again, the saliva further in the bite rose to the surface of the bite and caused it to itch again. It only needed heating again to finish denaturing the rest of the protein in that bite.
I hope this information helps you and your family deal with itchy mosquito bites.
