Mosquitoes: What's The Point? - National Geographic Education Blog

ENVIRONMENT

We could wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth. Why don’t we? (Nat Geo News)

Use our resources to learn a little about a slightly less drastic alternative here.

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit, and vote in today’s poll!

Discussion Ideas

• It is very unusual for the good folks at National Geographic to openly consider intentionally making a species extinct. Yet, that’s exactly what’s going on with regard to mosquitoes—and writers at the Washington Post, RadioLab, and the New York Times are wondering the same thing. Why, in the words of RadioLab (and Metallica), do so many people want to “Kill ‘Em All”?
  • “Mosquitoes are credited with causing more misery and loss to humanity than any other organism (with the obvious exception of ourselves).” In addition to annoying and itchy bug bites, mosquitoes are the vectors for some truly horrific diseases: Zika, malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, West Nile virus, encephalitis. These diseases infect millions and kill thousands every year, with children being the most vulnerable.

• What are the key reasons why scientists and health officials are not supporting a “kill ‘em all” mentality, at least not yet? Read through the Nat Geo News article or this great Conversation article for some help.
  • They’re an important part of some food webs. According to Nat Geo, “Mosquitoes serve as a food source for all kinds of creatures, such as fish, turtles, dragonflies, migratory songbirds, and bats.”
    • Mosquitoes are particularly important to the tundra ecosystem.
      • According to The Conversation, “for a few brief weeks in summer, [mosquitoes] hatch in extraordinary numbers, creating visible clouds of adults and a very rich food supply to migratory birds that have come north to exploit this bounty.” Climate change is allowing these “visible clouds” to swarm larger than ever—read about it here.
      • Mosquitoes may also impact the migration routes of caribou. (!) “A small change in path can have major consequences in an Arctic valley through which thousands of caribou migrate, trampling the ground, eating lichens, transporting nutrients, feeding wolves, and generally altering the ecology.”
  • They’re pollinators and decomposers. Mosquitoes are important pollinators for plants such as goldenrods and orchids. (Including the awesome monkeyface orchids.)
    • Mosquito larvae are also an important part of the tiny biome of the pitcher plant, feeding on insect waste products and providing nitrogen to the plant.
  • They suck. The chemicals in a mosquito’s mouthparts are natural anticoagulants, which prevent the clotting of blood. Anticoagulants are an important category of drugs, used to prevent or treat life-threatening conditions such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and stroke. Chemicals found in the mouthparts of mosquitoes and other bloodsuckers (such as leeches) could develop new, more powerful or affordable strains of anticoagulants.
  • They’re the devil we know. As the Nat Geo News article admits, “what would happen to the environment if—poof—all the mosquitoes simply disappeared? The short answer is no one knows.”
    • The Conversation goes a little further: “All that warm, nutritious blood suddenly available. There are plenty of other midges and mites, black flies and fleas out there just waiting for the opportunity to step in. Be careful what you wish for.”

• What are some alternatives to eradication?
  • Prevent exposure to mosquitoes. The rules sound simple—wear long sleeves, use a good insect repellent. But they’re still the most effective advice you can heed.
  • Use more powerful pesticides. DDT, for example, is an effective agent for killing mosquitoes, but the ecological side effects are serious enough that the substance is banned in many countries.
  • Genetically engineer mosquitoes to lose their taste for human blood.
  • Genetically engineer mosquitoes so that parasites die inside the mosquito before spreading to humans. (This puts the focus on the real enemy: the parasites, viruses, and other microorganisms that actually cause disease.)
  • Genetically engineer mosquitoes to die before they reach adulthood. (OK, this sort of infanticide puts us back to eradication.)

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

Nat Geo: Zika Raises the Question: Are Mosquitoes Necessary?

The Conversation: Why don’t we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?

Nature: Ecology: A world without mosquitoes (great article!)

RadioLab: Kill ‘Em All and What If We Don’t Kill ‘Em All

Nat Geo: Mutant Mosquitoes Lose Lust for Human Scent

EPA: Prevent Your Exposure to Mosquitoes

New York Times: New Weapon to Fight Zika: The Mosquito

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