blood meal

noun

1. the dried blood of animals used as a fertilizer, diet supplement for livestock, or deer repellent.

Word History and Origins

Origin of blood meal¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

“You need to be able to keep the blood meal fluid and prevent the host from kicking you out,” Dr. Ben Mans, who studies hematophages at South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council, told Salon.

Read more on Salon

Toward the end of the summer, when mosquitoes have reached their peak numbers and start jostling for any available blood meal, human cases start cropping up.

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If you use bark, add a nitrogen source such as blood meal.

Read more on Seattle Times

For both dengue and malaria, mosquitoes get infected when they have a blood meal from an infected person.

Read more on Scientific American

Female midges gather in swarms of millions as they seek out a blood meal to feed their eggs, leaving many of their human "victims" with red, itchy sores.

Read more on BBC