Why can't we Eliminate Mosquitoes?

 Article by Bryant Yuan

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You've been walking in the park, enjoying the peace of your evening stroll, when suddenly you hear an unmistakable sound. It's the high-pitched drone of a mosquito in flight. As you take a few more steps, the sound becomes louder and more persistent until you find yourself surrounded by a swarm of airborne pests. You wave your arms and slap at your skin to ward them off, but it does nothing. When the ordeal is over, painful welts cover your skin that will bother you for the next few days.

It's surprising to know that mosquitoes cause more deaths than any other species currently known. Half the global population is at risk of catching diseases from a single mosquito bite. Over a million people die from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever each year. These diseases usually affect people from poorer countries. Livestock and other animals are also vulnerable to these deadly diseases.

You may wonder, why can't we just kill all of them? Never let them ever cause any more red welts. The world would be much better and safer without the constant threat of mosquitoes. But what would happen if we were to eradicate this most hated insect from the face of the Earth?

First of all, mosquitos outnumber us immensely. About 3,500 different species of mosquitoes are present on Earth, out of which 200 pose a risk to human health. However, scientists are studying methods to potentially eradicate mosquitoes, one of which is a genetic method that causes mosquitoes to produce more male offspring. By creating genetically modified mosquitoes that primarily produce male offspring, the researchers aim to self-limit the species over time. They have used an enzyme during sperm production that affects the X chromosome, resulting in mainly male mosquitoes(which don't harm and attack us. All they do is mate) in each new generation. Scientists are experimenting with body odours that attract mosquitoes, hoping to create more effective repellents. Others aim to make mosquitoes immune to the parasites that cause disease.

It is not just a modern problem that we deal with mosquitoes. They have been present on our planet for over 100 million years and have become an integral part of the food chain.

Eliminating mosquitoes would cause significant impacts on many species that depend on them as a food source, which includes specialised predators like mosquitofish, as well as birds, bats, spiders, insects, salamanders, lizards, and frogs that feed on mosquitoes. The disruption of the food chain would have far-reaching consequences for the environment.

Scientists suggest that the disappearance of mosquitoes wouldn't be catastrophic for most animals. Although some animals may face food scarcity, they eventually adapt and find other food sources, which means that mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, which claim the lives of around 1 million people annually and make another 246 million people sick every year, would no longer be a threat.

Although eradicating pests may seem simple, it is not and not all that helpful.