Why can mosquitoes fly in the rain?

You should not imagine the world of mosquitoes like the world is for us. Imagine, you were a fly and imagine then how big a drop of rain would be in its perspective! If a car or another vehicle (so great is a raindrop for the mosquitoes) comes around, we will also have enough time to avoid a crash calmly.
2012-05-19 at 22:54

A little bit more physics we need for the explanation. If a drop of rain comes down, it pushes a shock wave in front of it. This pressure wave ensures that the mosquito is pushed away to the side, as the mosquito is simply too lightweight.

If we take the example of the car again, it would be as if a balloon collided with a car. The balloon will not even be destroyed of this collision. Instead, the balloon, as well as the mosquito, will be pushed to the side. Only if the car or the raindrops pushes the balloon or the mosquito against a barrier, the balloon would burst or the mosquito would die.

So, in other words, the best thing, the mosquito can do, is to stay in the air. On the ground, it would be far more dangerous to come together with a raindrop.
2012-05-22 at 18:52