this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
925 points (98.0% liked)
Memes
45745 readers
2279 users here now
Rules:
- Be civil and nice.
- Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I take it the answer is that we still (unfortunately) need them?
Last I checked, the only niche they fill in nature is being food for predators like dragonflies and bats.
Untrue.
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-purposes-do-mosquitoes-serve-in-ecosystems
https://blog.nwf.org/2020/09/what-purpose-do-mosquitoes-serve/
https://www.mosquitoreviews.com/learn/mosquitoes-pollination
There's different species that serve different purposes in the ecosystem.
https://www.lukerchocolate.com/en/innovation/meet-the-mosquito-behind-cocoa-tree-pollination/
https://www.nps.gov/articles/chocolate-midge.htm
All that being said, I can't stand them lol
I can feed those dragonflies and bats myself, so no need for those mosquitoes. I say bring out the nuclear option
okay, but what happens if those die out? Will there be more?
They have varied enough diets to be mostly fine without them.
I read that only a few species bite humans. If this is correct, we can exterminate just those, and leave the rest for the dragonflies and the bats