Biting - Ochlerotatus atlanticus

That reminds me

of something an acquaintance told me many years ago (he was into body-building). He claimed that flexing the arm-muscles a certain way would trap the mosquito's proboscis so it couldn't withdraw. The claimed result was that it would continue sucking blood until it ruptured

… Chuck Entz, 5 August, 2006 - 6:11pm

I have heard similar things a

I have heard similar things as well, and I do not believe them for several reasons:
1) I have never seen it demonstrated. Next time someone claims this works, ask for a demo.
2)Mosquitoes insert their proboscises into capillaries, many of which are fenestrated, and thus fluid pressure cannot build up. Mosquitoes actually have to pump the blood through the proboscis.
3)The pressure drop of a fluid going into a mosquito's proboscis would neccesitate a pretty hefty blood pressure to deliver a mosquito-exploding pressure to the other side(assuming the mosquito did happen to bite into an artery or vein).

… Sean McCann, 6 August, 2006 - 7:01am

I believe the idea

was not that the blood pressure would do the damage, but that the pumping was an involuntary action that would require that the mosquito withdraw her proboscis before it could stop

… Chuck Entz, 6 August, 2006 - 10:41am

...

hmm. I'm still a skeptic, I will believe it when I see it. Interesting thing to try though.

… Sean McCann, 6 August, 2006 - 11:56am

awesome shot

actually i have seen it happen. it is very hard to do though, because the mosquito will feel it and extract her proboscis really fast. but i myself have made a mosquito explode like that once, it was absolutely beautiful.

… Omar Fahmy, 9 August, 2006 - 5:57pm