Is a World Without Mosquitoes Possible?

Mosquitoes are not only known for being a nuisance, but also for being a deadly predator.

Mosquitoes infect around 247 million people worldwide each year with diseases such as La Crosse encephalitis, West Nile, and malaria. Of those people infected, nearly one million die. The harm mosquitoes cause lead many to wonder why the world hasn’t been given permanent relief from mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes live on almost every continent and in almost every habitat, serving important purposes in many different ecosystems. Wiping out mosquitoes could leave a predator without a prey, or a plant without a pollinator. Some scientists fear what ecosystems would look like if mosquitoes were eliminated, while other scientists see only positive outcomes in eradicating mosquitoes, as they believe another species would quickly take over the mosquito’s place.

The positive and negative outcomes of eradicating mosquitoes can be seen in Northern Canada and Russia, where mosquitoes can be thick enough to choke caribou. Eliminating mosquitoes would prevent caribou from dying, but scientists infer that without mosquitoes to eat the number of migratory birds that nest in the tundra could drop by more than 50%. On the contrary, research conducted in the arctic of Alaska has shown that mosquitoes do not show up in bird’s stomachs very often, meaning they aren’t a significant food source.

However, mosquitoes are a significant food source for other animals, such as spiders, salamanders, lizards, frogs, and fish. For example, fish would experience a significant change in diet as feeding behavior is genetically imprinted in fish. Some fish, such as the mosquito fish, feed almost selectively on mosquitoes.

In the meantime, while we wait for scientists to make up their mind on the elimination of mosquitoes, we must protect ourselves and our family from the harm mosquitoes can cause. Mosquito Squad is dedicated to helping you protect your family by eliminated 85-90% of the mosquitoes in your yard.