Why do we not simply eradicate mosquitos? What would be the negative consequences?
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I am a mosquito scientist and this is the most common questions I get asked! It’s a really complicated area with so many different aspects it’s hard to sum it all up! Here’s a brief summary:
The first thing to be aware of is there are about 3600 different types (species) of mosquito. Of these about 60 bite humans and spread disease. So we would only what to target these ones.
Over the years many chemicals have been used however over time the mosquitoes tend to become immune to the chemicals so they stop working.
Genetically modifying mosquitoes to stop then being able to reproduce is the latest method. It has shown to be effective at reducing the population in certain areas. However unless you do it on a whole island/ continent, unmodified mosquitoes will always move back in.
Land management to reduce suitable breeding sites also works however there is a lack of money to do this in most area and who impact the ecosystem.
In urban areas the Asian tiger mosquito is particularly annoying. The way to get rid if this is my removing any breeding site. However the breeding sites could be bits of plastic with a drop of water in them. So trying to get rid if this on a city wide level is almost impossible!
Update:
I’ve had lots of people saying I haven’t answered the question. So here is my attempt.
If we just look at the Asian tiger mosquito, which is an invasive species to many countries, it is unlikely to be part of a complex food web as it has only spread around the globe in the last few decades. Furthermore it lives in urban environments so unlikely to be the source of food for anything significant. Eliminating this species would just return us to where we were a few decades ago and not have much impact.
Concerning a the other species, I can’t really say! Sorry!
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