Mosquitoes are the most annoying creatures in the universe, but they are also the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Because of mosquitoes, millions have lost their lives every year; they have killed more people than all the wars combined.

In addition to all this, they also spread diseases to animals, causing more damage. So why haven’t they been exterminated yet? What can we do to live in a world without mosquitoes?

1. 2 Best Known Ways to Make Mosquitoes Extinct from the World.

1.1 Gene Mutation

Many scientists have proposed gene mutation as the ultimate solution. Scientists propose to alter the gene of male mosquitoes to make their offspring unwilling to suck on human blood or make changes in their DNA so that they won’t be able to spread diseases. Another gene mutation theory says that we should mutate male mosquitoes so that they can’t reproduce, thereby freeing the world from mosquitoes.

A gene mutation is one of the most likely and preferred methods to get rid of our mosquito problem. This method ensures that we won’t be eradicating all of the mosquitoes from the world, causing less damage to the environment, and at the same time, we’ll accomplish our main objective, which is to stop mosquitoes from spreading disease.

Scientists have started working towards this goal, and so far they have accomplished great results. The University of California is one of those institutions that has taken on this challenge and shown significant results.

Though this theory is most popular among scientists to get rid of mosquitoes, many still have disagreements with it. It is said that this process will take decades or centuries to get rid of the mosquitoes, as a mosquito can only live for 20 days, so we’ve got to produce these mutated mosquitoes on a large scale, but transportation of them will still be an issue.

Many believe that mutating the mosquito’s gene can trigger something far worse than what we are currently facing. There is always the fear of the unknown lurking around, and making a world without mosquitoes is not going to be a cakewalk.

1.2 Eliminating Breading Spots

Mosquitoes need still and warm water to lay their eggs; it’s the only favorable environment where their larvae can survive until they grow into fully adult mosquitoes, so eliminating all the possibilities of them laying eggs is the best solution to get rid of them. This way, we can control the mosquito problem in a small area, but considering the world, it’s not going to work. If we want a world without mosquitoes, then we’ll have to take some serious action to accomplish it.

Make sure that there are no containers. Remove all of the containers if possible, otherwise, drain them frequently. Always keep an eye out for anything that can collect rainwater.

Anything from animal feeding bowls to flowerpots to old tires and plastic bags or tarps can be used. So do yourself a favor and get rid of them because these mosquitoes will be the first ones to bite you.

2. Effects of Eradicating Mosquitoes

2.1 Extinction and the Food Problem

The extermination of mosquitoes may sound like delectable news at first but think about it for a moment. No matter how annoying they may be, the extinction of a whole species can’t be good news. They may be small, but they are large in numbers. There are about 100–110 trillion mosquitoes (the theory says so) in the world, which makes them a crucial part of the food chain. Due to their small size, they are perfect prey for other insects, small birds, and even birds and reptiles.

A mosquito generally weighs around 2.5 milligrams, so considering their population of 100 trillion, eradicating all mosquitoes from the world will come to 250 million kilograms less food every year for birds, dragonflies, bats, purple martins, frogs, and house lizards.

Though many scientists believe that these predators may shift to something else if mosquitoes were to become extinct. This thought is still a topic of debate among scientists, but no matter the outcome of the debate, this action of ours will negatively affect the environment.

If these predators do shift to something else, then that particular species or species will be in danger of extinction due to heavy preying; if they don’t shift to something else, then they will be in danger of extinction due to lack of food. Removing a whole insect from the food chain can cause problems that we can’t even think of at this moment, even if it’s as small as a mosquito.

2.2 Pollination Problems

In search of food, i.e., flower nectar, mosquitoes pollinate many of the flowers in this process and contribute their share to the environment. Many other insects can also do this in their stead, but there are still some plants that are highly dependent on mosquitoes for the pollination process.

2.3 Rainforest Conservation Problem

Mosquitoes make it almost impossible for humans to survive in the rainforest, and because of that, humans stay away from the rainforest. If we eliminate all the mosquitoes, we’ll be opening doors to potentially dangerous situations for the remaining greenery on earth.

In the end, human greed knows no bounds, and they’ll cut more and more trees, which will deprive many animals, insects, and reptiles of their remaining natural habitats.

2.4 Food Chain and Food Web

We all know that nature has a perfect way of balancing everything and everything here serves a purpose no matter how small it is or how big, nature gives importance to every being, and removing an entire species from it could have some serious repercussions, many believe that food chain won’t we affect with their departure but no one can say this for sure, mosquitoes larvae helps to clear the water by devouring dead insects and animals, mosquitoes are also a major part of the diet for other insects, animals, and birds.

3. Is It Ethical To Kill Mosquitoes?

When we think of mosquitoes, only annoyance and pain come to mind, and we think that the world would be better off without them and that they should be exterminated from the world as soon as possible so that we can enjoy peaceful nights without having to listen to their sweet melody in the night and goodnight kisses.

But will it be ethical to kill all of the mosquitoes in the world? Don’t they have the right to live? Is it ethical to make a species extinct on this basis? All of this might look like stupidity at first, but if your answer is yes, then isn’t it thoughtless mass murder? So this raises the question: Do we have the right to kill them all?

If we are talking about the power, then yes, we’ve got the power, or will soon have it, to make them extinct from the world, but when it comes to the right, then it’s a different story. No matter how you look at it, we don’t have the right to end a life that has been living on the earth for more than 100 million years just because they are an annoyance to us, but we can’t ignore the damage done by them.

Millions have been losing their lives because of them each year, and that’s a good reason, but we don’t have any reason to eradicate all of them. Only killing those species that are a danger to us and spread disease would be enough. This way, we won’t be affecting the environment on a larger scale, and our problem will also be solved.

4. What Can We Do for ow?

For starters, forget about living in a world without mosquitoes for now, though if you still want to, you can either go to Iceland or Antarctica. It’s the only place in the world without mosquitoes for now at least, or you should prefer to live 950 feet above the ground all the time.

Most of the mosquitoes won’t bother you there, and lastly, put on too much mosquito repellent ointment and incense sticks if you can’t do any of the above. These are the only solutions we’ve got to deal with mosquitoes for now.

If you don’t want to do any of that, then your options are limited. The best strategy for you will be to be a responsible person and help yourself and your neighborhood with local extirpations. Keep your surroundings clean; make sure that there is no spot in your house or neighborhood where mosquitoes can lay their eggs.

If the problem is bigger and can’t be solved only through precautionary measures, then the option of insecticides is always available, though it’s a less ideal option as it will kill other beneficial insects in the neighborhood too. In emergencies, protecting ourselves should be the priority.

Conclusion 

A world without mosquitoes would be a perfect world, but it’s not necessary to kill every species of mosquito; exterminating those that spread diseases would be enough. There is no way their existence should be allowed for even a second on this earth.

For the past century, they’ve killed more people and animals than all of the wars combined. They could be the reason for life-long illness if they bite the mothers during pregnancy. In an underdeveloped country, thousands of children have to lose their lives every year. Everyone will agree that the species of mosquitoes responsible for spreading disease should be exterminated.

Last Updated on June 28, 2023 by ritukhare