Should we kill all the mosquitoes? (1 Viewer)

[B-Deep]

I have seen a couple of things about this. I will post some and others can post more. The question is IF we can eradicate skeeters from the earth should we?

On its face the answer seems no, as it has to have some ecological impact. But i am reading more and more where the impact may not be as severe as it seems

Why kill them, well as this link demonstrates http://www.upworthy.com/out-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-animals-i-bet-youre-most-afraid-of-the-safest-ones mosquitoes kill people, lots of people. Granted that link does question its own data, but I do not think there is a question that mosquitoes are killers, though to most of us they do not seem like it.

So should we? Is there any ethical dilemma about this if there is not a big environmental impact? Is intentional extinction ok if the animal is annoying enough?

Discuss, debate, argue, but be polite!

here is an article about it :

http://www.geek.com/science/geek-answers-would-it-really-be-so-bad-if-we-killed-all-the-mosquitoes-1583955/

this is linked to form the above article:

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100721/full/466432a.html

and this is just a bizarre site:

http://mosquitoesmustdie.com/

some articles (a bit older)about how we may kill em all

http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2011/04/scientists-take-a-step-closer-to-being-able-to-kill-all-the-mosquitoes/

http://www.gizmag.com/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-aegypti-mosquito/20668/

 

[B-Deep]

here's a gates article where the chart was taken from:

http://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Most-Lethal-Animal-Mosquito-Week

the graphic with the giant skeeter head is spooky

 

[McGarnicle]

Hey why not, we've already wiped out plenty of species by accident, what's one more? If this is actually an option, can we do fire ants, cats, snakes and trolls next?

 

[B-Deep]

Hey why not, we've already wiped out plenty of species by accident, what's one more? If this is actually an option, can we do fire ants, cats, snakes and trolls next?

when you say trolls do you mean under the bridge trolls, the kinda cool trolls on frozen, or message board trolls?

 

[Parrothead]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

 

[Jayrok]

Burn 'em down, I say! Hate them skeeters.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Kill them all and let Chtuntah* sort 'em out.

* - God of mosquitoes.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

 

[B-Deep]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

but the benefits of killing those are much smaller

skeeters kill 3/4 of a million people a year, that's a ton of people!

What makes mosquitoes so dangerous? Despite their innocuous-sounding name—Spanish for “little fly”—they carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year; another 200 million cases incapacitate people for days at a time. It threatens half of the world’s population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.

 

[McGarnicle]

Hey why not, we've already wiped out plenty of species by accident, what's one more? If this is actually an option, can we do fire ants, cats, snakes and trolls next?

when you say trolls do you mean under the bridge trolls, the kinda cool trolls on frozen, or message board trolls?

Bridge yes, have not seen that movie, message board yes.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

but the benefits of killing those are much smaller

skeeters kill 3/4 of a million people a year, that's a ton of people!

What makes mosquitoes so dangerous? Despite their innocuous-sounding name—Spanish for “little fly”—they carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year; another 200 million cases incapacitate people for days at a time. It threatens half of the world’s population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.

As someone who has spent considerable time in Africa, the danger of the mosquito is not lost on me. I said here a few times that it was absolutely the thing that terrified me most about being in Africa, more than being eaten by a huge lizard or a government coup.

You probably rid the world of mosquitoes though because they are a key part of the food chain, especially for our pollinators. Take away mosquitoes and you will lose plant and flower species, and that could impact us ecologically more than people might think.

 

[BobbyLayne]

The World Health Organization estimates that in 2010, there were 219 million documented cases of malaria. That year, the disease killed between 660,000 and 1.2 million people,[1] many of whom were children in Africa. The actual number of deaths is not known with certainty, data is unavailable in many rural areas, and many cases are undocumented. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty and may also be a major hindrance to economic development.

 

[mr roboto]

Wouldn't the bat population decline dramatically?

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Wouldn't the bat population decline dramatically?

Yeah, that is happening already because of this. So terrible, really sucks. I love bats.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

And snakes too please.

 

[Parrothead]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

but yellow jackets and wasps scare me.. oh, and bald face hornets too.. I got ambushed by bald face hornets

 

[jonessed]

I loathe mosquitos. Perhaps we can replace them in the food chain with something else.

 

[Skylord]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

but yellow jackets and wasps scare me.. oh, and bald face hornets too.. I got ambushed by bald face hornets

I used to kill the wasps in my yard until I noticed they spent a lot of time buzzing around my vegetable plants. What were they looking for? The smart little bastards looked for leaves with holes in them and immediately searched the underside for a caterpillar. The wasps now stay.

 

[BRONG]

The absolute worst living thing on the planet. They LOVE me.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I loathe mosquitos. Perhaps we can replace them in the food chain with something else.

Fiddle Faddle maybe?

 

[Ilov80s]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood unappealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

 

[jonessed]

I loathe mosquitos. Perhaps we can replace them in the food chain with something else.

Fiddle Faddle maybe?

I like Fiddle Faddle, but I suspect the mosquito's natural predators do not.

 

[Black Box]

Flawed poll. All options should read "yes".

 

[Doctor Detroit]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

 

[Tecumseh]

Wouldn't the bat population decline dramatically?

Yeah, that is happening already because of this. So terrible, really sucks. I love bats.

According to the article, only about 2% of bats diet consists of mosquitos. They prefer moths.

 

[Tecumseh]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

Negative ghost rider

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

I say end them. And roaches too, while we're at it. ######' roaches. :shudder:

 

[Ilov80s]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

That's why someone needs to create something.

 

[Tecumseh]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

Negative ghost rider

Damn, that's cool. Thanks!

 

[BroadwayG]

Let's finish off the bees first.

 

[BRONG]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

Negative ghost rider

What's the one that gives you the gnarly nightmares? I'll never take that again.

 

[B-Deep]

yellow jackets (wasps in general) and ticks can go..

I think yellow jackets and wasps rid us of a lot of trash. Agree on ticks, I see no purpose for them at all.

but the benefits of killing those are much smaller

skeeters kill 3/4 of a million people a year, that's a ton of people!

What makes mosquitoes so dangerous? Despite their innocuous-sounding name—Spanish for “little fly”—they carry devastating diseases. The worst is malaria, which kills more than 600,000 people every year; another 200 million cases incapacitate people for days at a time. It threatens half of the world’s population and causes billions of dollars in lost productivity annually. Other mosquito-borne diseases include dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.

As someone who has spent considerable time in Africa, the danger of the mosquito is not lost on me. I said here a few times that it was absolutely the thing that terrified me most about being in Africa, more than being eaten by a huge lizard or a government coup.

You probably rid the world of mosquitoes though because they are a key part of the food chain, especially for our pollinators. Take away mosquitoes and you will lose plant and flower species, and that could impact us ecologically more than people might think.

that is what i have always though, but some people are now claiming that this is not the case, at least not to the extent you would think

i find that hard to believe, personally. Circle of life and all

 

[B-Deep]

the idea of creating a better mosquito that runs the old mosquito of of business, but planting a weakness we can exploit in that newer better mosquito, then using the weakness to destroy the new skeeter is so jurassic park

I freaking love it

 

[Doctor Detroit]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

Negative ghost rider

What's the one that gives you the gnarly nightmares? I'll never take that again.

Larium or Mefloquine.

I've never had an adverse reaction to anything until I took that. I'm one of the people trying to get the DoD to recognize it as a hazardous substance and one that should never have been given to troops. I'm convinced there are long-term side effects not only mentally, but physically.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

the idea of creating a better mosquito that runs the old mosquito of of business, but planting a weakness we can exploit in that newer better mosquito, then using the weakness to destroy the new skeeter is so jurassic park

I freaking love it

Or just bring in a bunch of mongooses, that worked well for Guam.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

the idea of creating a better mosquito that runs the old mosquito of of business, but planting a weakness we can exploit in that newer better mosquito, then using the weakness to destroy the new skeeter is so jurassic park

I freaking love it

I'm all for the idea of the eradication, but this TermineeterTM plan seems like it could easily backfire

 

[B-Deep]

The Young Chamorrita Bride who turns into a Mosquito

In the beginning, Guam had a little vegetation and only a few people. Most of the seeds of plants that arrived on the island of Guam were carried by winds, typhoons, birds, and the ocean currents. Some were brought to the island by visitors from other islands.

With time, all forms of life multiplied and became very abundant on the island. Residents of one village mingled with and married residents of a neighboring village.

One day the son of a chief from Talofofo wanted to marry a young Chamorrita girl who was the daughter of the chief from Tamuning. When the couple received the consent from their parents, they agreed to marry. They planned a great fandango to celebrate their marriage and to also honor the new relationship between the two great chiefs.

As was the custom, the young newlyweds lived in the village of Talofofo, the home of the bride. They were very happy, indeed, and loved one another dearly.

One day, without apparent cause, the young bride died unexpectedly. Because of his undying love for his wife, the husband kept her body by his side and wept day after day. Although his fellow villagers of Talofofo asked the young man to bury his lovely wife. He continued keeping her body by his side. He also continued to weep day and night.

After a while, he built a raft from a dokdok tree and put his wife's body on the raft and started out to sea. The young Chamorro husband stayed with the raft for many days.

Suddenly a taotaomona appeared befor him. He said to the young Chamorro, "I can bring your wife back to life."

"In order to do this, I need a pin made of bamboo." The young Chamorro husband made a pin of bamboo. He hand it over to the taotaomona. The taotaomona accepted the pin . He then struck the young Chamorro's finger with the pin, and blood dripped onto the body of his wife. Blood flowed onto her body, and behold, his lovely wife came back to life.

Soon the young husband, tiring of sea food, decided to go ashore to get some fresh fruit to eat. He swam to shore. On his return with the fruits, he saw his lovely wife standing on the raft with another man.

She told him that she was going away with the other man. Off she went with a complete stranger. The enraged husband knew that he would have to kill her for betraying him.

The wife and the stranger decided to stay at sea. The were very happy together. They lived from the sea, and were quite happy for some time.

When the next day came, the young husband decided to search for his wife. He found the young wife near the river. He had struck her with the bamboo pin that made her come back to life.

Her blood had flowed into the water of the river, and she disappeared. As her blood emptied into the ocean, it turned into mosquito larvae.

Today when a mosquito bites people, it is sucking blood with its long proboscis, trying to get back enough blood to become the once beautiful young bride which once lived on Guam.

 

[B-Deep]

that is creepy

 

[B-Deep]

the idea of creating a better mosquito that runs the old mosquito of of business, but planting a weakness we can exploit in that newer better mosquito, then using the weakness to destroy the new skeeter is so jurassic park

I freaking love it

I'm all for the idea of the eradication, but this TermineeterTM plan seems like it could easily backfire

oh yeah, it seems to have disaster written all over it

 

[glock]

If not kill them all, teach them to read so that I can put up signs directing them to my neighbor's house. That #####.

 

[glock]

that is creepy

:shudder:

 

[Parrothead]

The Young Chamorrita Bride who turns into a Mosquito

In the beginning, Guam had a little vegetation and only a few people. Most of the seeds of plants that arrived on the island of Guam were carried by winds, typhoons, birds, and the ocean currents. Some were brought to the island by visitors from other islands.

With time, all forms of life multiplied and became very abundant on the island. Residents of one village mingled with and married residents of a neighboring village.

One day the son of a chief from Talofofo wanted to marry a young Chamorrita girl who was the daughter of the chief from Tamuning. When the couple received the consent from their parents, they agreed to marry. They planned a great fandango to celebrate their marriage and to also honor the new relationship between the two great chiefs.

As was the custom, the young newlyweds lived in the village of Talofofo, the home of the bride. They were very happy, indeed, and loved one another dearly.

One day, without apparent cause, the young bride died unexpectedly. Because of his undying love for his wife, the husband kept her body by his side and wept day after day. Although his fellow villagers of Talofofo asked the young man to bury his lovely wife. He continued keeping her body by his side. He also continued to weep day and night.

After a while, he built a raft from a dokdok tree and put his wife's body on the raft and started out to sea. The young Chamorro husband stayed with the raft for many days.

Suddenly a taotaomona appeared befor him. He said to the young Chamorro, "I can bring your wife back to life."

"In order to do this, I need a pin made of bamboo." The young Chamorro husband made a pin of bamboo. He hand it over to the taotaomona. The taotaomona accepted the pin . He then struck the young Chamorro's finger with the pin, and blood dripped onto the body of his wife. Blood flowed onto her body, and behold, his lovely wife came back to life.

Soon the young husband, tiring of sea food, decided to go ashore to get some fresh fruit to eat. He swam to shore. On his return with the fruits, he saw his lovely wife standing on the raft with another man.

She told him that she was going away with the other man. Off she went with a complete stranger. The enraged husband knew that he would have to kill her for betraying him.

The wife and the stranger decided to stay at sea. The were very happy together. They lived from the sea, and were quite happy for some time.

When the next day came, the young husband decided to search for his wife. He found the young wife near the river. He had struck her with the bamboo pin that made her come back to life.

Her blood had flowed into the water of the river, and she disappeared. As her blood emptied into the ocean, it turned into mosquito larvae.

Today when a mosquito bites people, it is sucking blood with its long proboscis, trying to get back enough blood to become the once beautiful young bride which once lived on Guam.

bunch of biatches

 

[B-Deep]

the idea of creating a better mosquito that runs the old mosquito of of business, but planting a weakness we can exploit in that newer better mosquito, then using the weakness to destroy the new skeeter is so jurassic park

I freaking love it

I'm all for the idea of the eradication, but this TermineeterTM plan seems like it could easily backfire

oh yeah, it seems to have disaster written all over it

as a matter of fact it sounds like a line from a bad scyfy movie

Some Sciencey guy: "well mr president, we engineered a super mosquito to kill all the common mosquitoes, then we were going to implement the Lysine Contingency to eradicate the super mosquitoes, but it seems the common mosquito and the super mosquito bred to create a super super mosquito...."

The President: "you did WHAT? In what world is a super mosquito a good thing!!!!"

Sciencey guy: "well you see mr president, we engineered the super mosquito so it would kill all the common mosquitoes..."

 

[mr roboto]

If you've ever seen Lilo and Stitch you'll know that the mosquito is an intergalactic protected species.

 

[NCCommish]

I think we eradicate any species at our own risk. And yes I know they help kill a lot of people. But it's hard to believe such an abundant species is so insignificant that it's removal would be meaningless.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

and Big Insect Repellant would never allow them to go through with such a plan

 

[Guest]

Ticks. fleas, and sand-burrs need to go first.

Think of the dragonflies and baby fishes that eat mosquito larvae.

 

[whoknew]

The real key would be to get some kind of injection that makes our blood I appealing to the Mosquitos. That seems easier although more dangerous for humans, but we put all kinds of crazy things in our body, why not mosquito repellent.

Well there are anti-malaria medicines out there but the side effects are hell. The only good option is high-powered anti-biotics, but that leads to a whole new group of problems with organisms developing resistance to antibodies.

Antibiotics wouldn't touch malaria. Plasmodium vivax is a protozoan.

Negative ghost rider

What's the one that gives you the gnarly nightmares? I'll never take that again.

That was messed up.

 

[Brony]

If not kill them all, teach them to read so that I can put up signs directing them to my neighbor's house. That #####.

if they can read now, we're in big trouble. They're gonna be pissed when they read this thread