# If we extincted (malaria-carrying) mosquitoes...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 9, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514 "2003-04-09T09:19:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514/21 "2003-04-10T19:30:34Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Derleth \*  
> \*\*The HEGs would only kill the anopheles, _not any other mosquitoes._ Other mosquito populations would boom to fill in the gap, thereby replacing the missing links in the food chain.
> 
> As for not targeting the parasite itself: There aren’t as many mosquitoes, and we can count them better. As the HEG depends on being pretty widespread in a population for it to work, I think we have a better chance at killing off the mosquitoe than the parasite. The researchers apparently agree with me. \*\*

The problem is, every damn time humans have tried to wipe out a specific niche in the foodchain in a localized area we screw it up.  
What will probably happen

The anopheles die. Total mosquieto populaton declines due to that.

Birds/other mosquiteo predators eat the same number of mosquis as previous years FURTHER depressing total mosquis populations.

Fewer moqsuis survive to reproduce.

Next year:

Fewer mosquis, even less food for birds birds start dying.

Population pressure removed on other insecets.  
Or with a reduction in mosquiteos as a food source birds eat more populations of other insects… screwing up that ecological niche.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514/22 "2003-04-10T21:20:13Z")

</div>

**CRorex** , perhaps, but I don’t think the balance is all that delicate. After all, we doused Seattle with DDT for how long to eradicate malaria there, and we still have plenty of birds in the region, again despite the mass reduction in the insect populations and the supposed harm DDT does to bird shells.

As the HEGs are even more narrow-spectrum than any pesticide, only targeting one species, I don’t see the huge risks here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514/23 "2003-04-11T06:27:56Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by CRorex \*  
> \*\*It’s an excusable mistake, after all you are a microbiologist 😉 \*\*

Oh yeah? Well, the stuff I study is bigger than the stuff you study. I win!

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-we-extincted-malaria-carrying-mosquitoes/167514.md?page=1)