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Sugar feeding is a common behaviour of male and female mosquitoes, sand flies, and other Dipteran vectors. In some species it is essential to one or both sexes; in others it is facultative. Even among females of anthropophilic species that are predisposed to a diet of frequent blood meals sugar is often taken, depending on internal state and opportunity. This opportunism is expressed as an increased likelihood of feeding on nectar when access to blood and oviposition sites is limited. Newly emerged Anopheles gambiae females sometimes show a preference for sugar before mating even when blood hosts are available, likely depending both on the strength of plant and animal kairomones and on the attractive qualities of each. Incorporation of sugar in the diet by mosquitoes affects certain components of their vectorial capacity. Environmental conditions, such as bed net coverage and abundance of nectar sources …