Page 17 - For Men of Understanding

SPECIAL PINCERS FOR MATING
A male gnat mature enough to mate uses its antennae,
i.e. its hearing organs, to find its female. The antennae
of male gnats have different functions from those of
females. Thin feathers at the end of their antennae are
highly sensitive to sounds emitted by female gnats.
Right beside the sexual organs of the male gnat, there
are appendages, which help him to grab the female
while mating in the air. Male gnats fly in groups that
seem like clouds and when a female gnat enters the
group, the male who succeeds in grabbing the female
mates with her during flight. Mating does not take
long and the male gnat goes back to his group after
mating. From that moment, the female gnat needs
blood for the development of her eggs.

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF THE GNAT

What is generally known about gnats is that they are bloodsuckers and feed
on blood. This, however, is not quite correct, because not all gnats suck blood
but only females. Besides, the females suck blood not because of their need
for food. Both male and female gnats feed on the nectar from flowers. The only
reason female gnats, unlike the males, suck blood is their need for the proteins
found in blood which help their eggs to develop. In other words, the female
gnat sucks blood just to secure the perpetuation of its species.

The developmental process is one of the most amazing and admirable sides
of the gnat. The short story of the transformation of a living being from a tiny
larva through many different phases into a gnat is as follows:
Gnat eggs, which are fed by blood to develop, are deposited on damp
leaves or dried ponds by the female gnat during summer or autumn. Prior to
this, the mother initially inspects the ground thoroughly by using the delicate
receptors under her abdomen. Upon finding a convenient place, she starts to

deposit her eggs. The eggs, which are less than 1 mm in length, are arranged

In some gnat species, the female lines up hundreds of eggs like a raft.