# Mosquitos as eco-terrorists. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 15, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244 "2016-04-15T02:54:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/1 "2016-04-15T02:54:19Z")
I have to say those “ecologists” who would save the mosquitos because they are good at killing people are pretty sick. I wonder how much support this position would garner if NYC and San Francisco were losing huge numbers to these tiny killers. I guess it’s alright as long as it mostly kills poor people in far away countries. [link to column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3284/what-if-we-eradicated-mosquitoes) ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/2 "2016-04-15T19:05:44Z")
I am outraged, _outraged_ by this column. Pumpkin Spice Oreos are DELICIOUS! I won’t hear a word against them! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/3 "2016-04-15T19:59:26Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > I have to say those “ecologists” who would save the mosquitos because they are good at killing people are pretty sick. I wonder how much support this position would garner if NYC and San Francisco were losing huge numbers to these tiny killers. I guess it’s alright as long as it mostly kills poor people in far away countries. Well, their point is usually that it would be less ecologically destructive to deal with the virus/parasite/disease-causing organism directly, rather than try to take out the vector. And since many of these diseases have alternate routes of transmission, or could plausibly develop one, that would probably be a better idea from a public health perspective too. The main benefit to targeting mosquitoes is that you can kill a bunch of birds with one stone (even if only temporarily). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/4 "2016-04-15T20:33:22Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > I am outraged, _outraged_ by this column. Pumpkin Spice Oreos are DELICIOUS! I won’t hear a word against them! :mad: Never had them before, but they sound tasty. I’ll have to look for them around Halloween. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/5 "2016-04-15T21:43:07Z")
The mosquitos that vector zika, dengue, yellow fever, West Nile and chikungunya are not the same as those that transmit malaria. The former are of the genus Aedes; the latter are Anopheles. Furthermore, in most areas, Aedes are foreign intruders. I have no problem getting rid of them, except maybe in their original habitat. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/6 "2016-04-15T22:57:29Z")
Wouldn’t it be possible instead to modify the mosquitoes to create their own protein so they don’t need blood? ---
**Author:** ![DenMartin7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@DenMartin7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DenMartin7)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/7 "2016-04-17T11:48:02Z")
Discover magazine in a January 2016 edition discusses Oxitec’s plan to release genetically modified sterile males in Florida and briefly mentions Bill Gates’ proposal to place a certain gut bacteria in the dengue fever carrying mosquito to make it immune to the virus, creating a healthier mosquito that will not have a virus to transmit to humans. What is the downside to super healthy mosquitos? ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/8 "2016-04-17T15:13:07Z")
> [@DenMartin7](#): > > …briefly mentions Bill Gates’ proposal to place a certain gut bacteria in the dengue fever carrying mosquito to make it immune to the virus, creating a healthier mosquito that will not have a virus to transmit to humans. What is the downside to super healthy mosquitos? Wrong on several counts. Its not a gut bacterium - it is an intracellular endosymbiont (called Wolbachia) that primarily infects the mosquito gonads (also other tissues in the mosquito). It also doesn’t make the mosquitoes healthier - it actually induces a fitness cost (reductions in survival, fecundity, and the ability for the mosquito eggs to survive dry conditions) which can be pretty severe depending on which Wolbachia strain is being used. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/9 "2016-04-17T15:19:45Z")
To get back to the OP, no one is seriously suggesting eliminating all mosquitoes. There are almost 4,000 species of mosquitoes; maybe 100-200 are significant as potential pests to humans and domestic livestock/animals. Of the REALLY important ones (transmitting important pathogens over a wide area), we’re talking about maybe 50 species tops. Many of these are invasive. When people who know what they’re talking about talk about eliminating mosquitoes, they usually mean eliminating pest species from their introduced range. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/10 "2016-04-18T22:48:42Z")
> [@DenMartin7](#): > > What is the downside to super healthy mosquitos? Instead of going “bzzzz, bzzzz”, they’ll drone on about carbs and protein grams? ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/11 "2016-04-19T15:04:27Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > Instead of going “bzzzz, bzzzz”, they’ll drone on about carbs and protein grams? 🙂 Maybe they’ll be vegans. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/12 "2016-04-19T16:48:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **PoppaSan** : > > Wouldn’t it be possible instead to modify the mosquitoes to create their own protein so they don’t need blood? Create it out of _what_? Everything needs to eat. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/13 "2016-04-19T22:16:56Z")
> [@PoppaSan](#): > > Wouldn’t it be possible instead to modify the mosquitoes to create their own protein so they don’t need blood? Mosquitoes need blood because that is their food. What do you expect them to eat? Kale? ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/14 "2016-04-20T00:19:42Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Mosquitoes need blood because that is their food. What do you expect them to eat? Kale? Its not quite as crazy as it sounds. See my previous post on this topic here: [Can we engineer mosquitoes not to take blood?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19073951&postcount=57) ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/15 "2016-04-20T02:02:22Z")
> [@JR\_Brown](#): > > Well, their point is usually that it would be less ecologically destructive to deal with the virus/parasite/disease-causing organism directly, rather than try to take out the vector. And since many of these diseases have alternate routes of transmission, or could plausibly develop one, that would probably be a better idea from a public health perspective too. The main benefit to targeting mosquitoes is that you can kill a bunch of birds with one stone (even if only temporarily). You can also kill a bunch of literal birds, since mosquitoes are a major food source for them. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/16 "2016-04-20T03:36:11Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > You can also kill a bunch of literal birds, since mosquitoes are a major food source for them. And bats too. [Neat short TED animation about how bats are beneficial and take on bad guys like mosquitoes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8wLQ3NCBgg) > [@](#): > > Of the remaining 1000+ species of bats, about 70% feed on insects. These bats help control the real vampires: > mosquitoes, whose nasty bites are not just annoying but spread diseases, like West Nile virus. A single little brown bat can eat 1000 insects every hour, and a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats can eat several tons of moths in just one night. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mosquitos-as-eco-terrorists/752244/17 "2016-04-20T16:56:40Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Mosquitoes need blood because that is their food. What do you expect them to eat? Kale? I wouldn’t be so cruel even to a mosquito.