Should we eradicate Mosquitos?

[StriderX]

We have every right, we are the the controlling entity on this planet (for now).

Unlike bees, I couldn't give a ****.

 

[UTmaniac]

Consequences are probably too big I feel, further up the food chain, bad idea to wipe out Mosquitos.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

No, we should not. Controlling them is fine, but eradicating an entire species? No.

 

[Dis86]

No. Wipe out people instead?

 

[Sliver]

Prevention is better than the cure. So any solution that prevents the virus spreading within mosquito populations or modifying the virus its self so that it's no longer a threat to humans would be favourable. Such solutions though take many years/decades to come to fruition.

Or there's vaccination, again this takes time to develop.

The Center for Biodefence and Emerging Infectious Diseases in Galveston,Texas, predicts that it could take 10 - 12 years before an effective Zika virus vaccine is available for use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_virus#Vaccine_development

 

[Tefal]

No, we should not. Controlling them is fine, but eradicating an entire species? No.

was it wrong to eradicate smallpox?

 

[Dis86]

was it wrong to eradicate smallpox?

Smallpox had no useful place in the food-chain. Other than potentially keeping down human numbers.

 

[Nix]

Which TBH I would totally agree with. We are the biggest danger to earth at the moment and even if we weren't, our meddling in nature in the past has shown we don't anticipate all the side effects, for example

Think about this in terms of suffering. Humans may be the biggest threat and danger, but the diseases which mosquitos carry cause untold pain and misery to those afflicted. Would mosquitos suffer in the same way?

The more important question is, what would be the biospheric consequences of removing said mosquitos? What are the risks?

Of course, the obvious answer here is to eradicate the diseases as opposed to any fauna.

 

[Nitefly]

Kill them all IMO.

 

[krisboats]

I don't like mosquito's, if i get bitten they bites swell up to the size of a golf ball. Get rid of them i say.

 

[marl]

Assuming we could eradicate them all, does anyone have any idea what the consequences of that would be.

 

[dacads]

Why don't we wipe out ourselves first? Just a matter of time

 

[Rids]

I'm against the idea - I don't believe mankind has the right to dictate which species have a right to live.

 

[Sargatanas2511]

Mosquitoes do a LOT more than just bite and cause infection. It's amazing to me how many short sighted people in here would eradicate a species simply because they're "annoying" without even remotely thinking about how it would affect other species and ecosystems.

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Lol, good luck with that. People have been trying for decades with only limited success with everything from DDT to modern insecticides.

 

[bitslice]

carrying diseases that kill one million people a year

Would we benefit by having an extra 1 million people on the planet?
Maybe not.

 

[D.P.]

We tried this, it failed.
I would hope we are more enlighten now to realize how stupid an idea it is. Not least it has huge knock on effects, mosquitos are the primary food source for many animals like birds, spiders and bats. How many other species need to be exterminated?


Somewhat more realistic is to just eradicate the diseases, e.g. small pox.

 

[Shocky-FM]

Yes, wipe them out, all of them.

 

[ajf]

No, we shouldn't.
As we have no natural predators above us, I genuinely believe we need disease and war to try and keep the human population in check and stop us completely over running and destroying the planet.

 

[Sargatanas2511]

No, we shouldn't.
As we have no natural predators above us, I genuinely believe we need disease and war to try and keep the human population in check and stop us completely over running and destroying the planet.

They aren't working .