© Shutterstock

What are mosquitos? -

Mosquitos are a family of small flies. They have a slender segmented body, a pair of wings, three pairs of long thin legs, and a mouthpart made of a sophisticated system of thin needles, each of which pierces the skin.

© Shutterstock

An evening curfew -

In late August 2024, residents of Oxford, Massachusetts, were asked to adhere to a voluntary curfew in an effort to protect them against a potentially deadly disease known as eastern equine encephalitis.

© Shutterstock

The United States and mosquito-borne diseases -

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the country sees over 1,200 cases and about 100 deaths a year from West Nile virus, and between three and 15 cases of eastern equine encephalitis.

© Getty Images

Mosquitos are vectors -

Mosquitos are vectors, as they can carry and spread diseases from one person (or animal) to another. When a mosquito bites someone with a disease, it picks up the virus or parasite. Then, when it bites someone else, it can pass those germs into their bloodstream, making them sick.

© Getty Images

Female mosquitos -

Male mosquitos primarily feed on the nectar of flowers, but only females actually require blood in order to produce eggs.

© Getty Images

What would the world look like without mosquitos? -

It should be stated that experts don't know for certain what the world would look like without mosquitos, and they aren't sure of what the consequences would be if mosquitos were completely eradicated.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos and the food chain -

The main reason why experts can't predict what will happen if mosquitos are completely eradicated is because they don't know how they fit into the food chain despite there being 3,500 species of mosquitos on the planet.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos as a food source -

Mosquitos of all ages and sexes are a food source for a range of animals, including fish, turtles, dragonflies, songbirds, and bats.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos as pollinators -

Male mosquitos only eat nectar, making some species major pollinators of crops and flowers. Their disappearance could affect the pollination of certain crops and flowers, leading to reduced fruit and seed production.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitofish -

Mosquitofish feed on mosquito larvae at all stages of life, helping to reduce the mosquito population. If mosquitos were eradicated, it would disrupt the food chain, and the fish could face extinction.

© Shutterstock

Bats and mosquitos -

Bats are highly effective at controlling mosquito populations. On average, they are thought to consume between 600 and 1,000 mosquitos per hour.

© Shutterstock

What would happen to bats if mosquitos were eradicated? -

Bats are generalist predators, meaning they eat whatever they can catch. There aren't any bat species that only eat mosquitos, so it's unlikely bat populations will be severely impacted if mosquitos were eradicated.

© Shutterstock

Pesticides to eliminate mosquitos -

Extensive spraying of pesticides to eradicate mosquitos could have a dire impact on bats and other wildlife.

© Shutterstock

A world without disease? -

The eradication of mosquitos would have huge consequences for global health. It could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people globally each year.

© Shutterstock

Malaria -

Mosquitos are the primary vector for malaria, so if they disappeared malaria would as well. In 2022, global deaths from the disease were estimated at 608,000, a nearly 6% increase since 2019.

© Getty Images

Malaria symptoms -

Malaria symptoms are similar to flu symptoms. Fever, chills, headaches, and sweats are the most common signs. Malaria typically does not go away on its own, and recovery without intervention poses a major risk.

© Shutterstock

Reduced burden on public health services -

Eradicating mosquitos could reduce burdens on public health services, and countries may be able to recover the loss of gross domestic product malaria is responsible for.

© Getty Images

Dengue virus -

Mosquitos also transmit dengue virus, which kills around 21,000 people each year. Symptoms include sudden high fever, severe headaches, and joint and muscle pain.

© Getty Images

Breakthroughs in preventing disease transmission -

In recent years, experts have made promising breakthroughs in preventing disease transmission by infecting mosquitos with parasitic bacteria, sterilizing mosquitos with radiation, and even editing mosquitos’ genomes using CRISPR technology.

© Shutterstock

Not all mosquitos are responsible for destruction -

Some mosquitos that live in wetlands feed on frogs and other amphibians; they're not interested in humans. Other mosquitos, such as those in the genus Toxorhynchites, actually hunt other mosquitos during their aquatic larval stage.

© Shutterstock

What if? -

Some experts worry that the insects that could replace mosquitos would be just as bad and wonder if the replacement could spread disease quicker and further than mosquitos.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos slow down rainforest destruction -

By making life difficult for humans in tropical rainforests, mosquitos may have indirectly slowed down deforestation.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos' role -

In certain bodies of water, especially in eastern North America, mosquito and midge species play a vital role. When an insect drowns, midges consume the carcasses while mosquito larvae feed on the waste products. This produces nutrients that are important for plants.

© Shutterstock

Hawaii used to be a mosquito-free zone -

Mosquitos aren't endemic to Hawaii. American and European ships brought the insects to the archipelago around 1826.

© Shutterstock

Mosquitos and Wolbachia -

Wolbachia is a type of bacteria that naturally occurs in many insects. Scientists have found that infecting Aedes aegypti mosquitos with Wolbachia interferes with the mosquito's ability to transmit viruses like dengue and Zika.

© Getty Images

How to prevent mosquito bites: wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants -

Reduce the risk of being bitten by mosquitos by wearing loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants. You may also want to opt for clothes treated with permethrin.

© Shutterstock

Stop mosquitoes from laying eggs in or near water -

Empty buckets, tires, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or any other receptacle that can hold water once per week.

© Shutterstock

Use screens on windows and doors -

Use screens on windows and doors to stop mosquitos from getting inside. Repair or replace any screens that have rips or holes.

© Shutterstock

Use insect repellents -

Use an insect repellent with an active ingredient like DEET or Picaridin to prevent mosquitos from biting you.

Sources: (National Geographic) (CDC)

See also: What's the unheard-of respiratory illness that's claiming lives?

© Shutterstock