Mosquitoes, buffalo gnats and other annoying biting flies feed in this manner. This type of feeding is sometimes described as rasping-sucking . Many other insects feed on fluids, but do not cause injury as they feed. Most butterflies and moths feed on nectar, which they extract from flowers with siphoning mouthparts . These form a long tube that normally is curled under the head at rest but which may extend an inch or more as they feed.
Many flies lap their food with sponging mouthparts .
However, adults of some insects do not feed at all, having gotten all their nourishment during earlier stages in their development. The large silk moths, such as the cecropia moth, do not feed after they emerge from their cocoon. The whole order of Ephemeroptera, the mayflies, are well-known for their brief adult life, as they live little more than a few days, during which they do not feed. Such insects are said to have reduced or vestigial mouthparts .