Which of the following insects feed on blood using piercing and sucking mouthparts?

The correct choice highlights insects that have evolved specialized mouthparts adapted for feeding on blood, known as piercing and sucking mouthparts. Bed bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes are all examples of hematophagous (blood-feeding) insects that utilize these mouthparts effectively.

Bed bugs possess a needle-like proboscis that allows them to pierce the skin of their hosts and draw blood. Similarly, fleas have mouthparts designed for piercing the skin, enabling them to access blood from their hosts quickly. Mosquitoes also feature long proboscises that they use to penetrate the skin and extract blood while simultaneously injecting saliva, which can cause irritation and initiate an immune response in their hosts.

On the other hand, ants typically have chewing mouthparts designed for biting and consuming solid food rather than piercing and sucking. Flies, while they exhibit various feeding methods, do not have dedicated blood-feeding mouthparts that facilitate this type of feeding. Beetles mainly have chewing mouthparts suited for grinding solid food, making them unsuitable for blood feeding. Therefore, the group that solely focuses on blood feeding through the use of piercing and sucking mouthparts is accurately identified as bed bugs, fleas, and mosquitoes.