Mosquito: Does this harmful insect really have an important role for nature?

The mosquito is an insect that many consider very harmful, because of its invasive appearance but also because it can transmit many diseases. However, will we be able to get rid of it once and for all?

mosquito
There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes around the world, but only 200 of them can bite us.

Mosquitoes are especially annoying during our summer afternoons in addition to causing the spread of serious diseases. Is this harmful insect really important to nature or could we eradicate it definitively?

Can we limit its impact?

Spend the afternoons scratching after one or more bites, waking up in the middle of the night with the sound of your flight, no one likes mosquitoes, even more so when you know the potentially dangerous diseases they can transmit.

The tiger mosquito, increasingly widespread in Europe, can, for example, transmit diseases such as the Zika virus, dengue or even chikungunya. Although the risk of transmission of dangerous diseases is still limited today in our territory, millions of people are affected every year around the world, which makes the mosquito the animal that kills the most human beings on Earth.

Thus, scientists now hope to modify the genetics of disease-carrying mosquitoes to sterilise males of species dangerous to humans and exhaust them. Of the more than 3,000 known species of mosquitoes, only about 200 bite us and, therefore, pose a risk to humans.

According to some studies, eradicating even 30 types of mosquitoes would save the lives of a million people around the world, all without significantly affecting the genetic diversity of mosquitoes. Based on this principle, why not eradicate them completely?

Are mosquitoes important for the environment?

The idea may seem attractive given the harmful aspect of the mosquito, but this insect also plays an important role in nature. For example, it is an important source of food for many animals such as birds, amphibians, bats, fish and other insects.

In addition, the mosquito is a pollinating insect, which means that it feeds mainly on the nectar of the flowers (blood is a source of protein that only allows females to mature their eggs). Although their role is not as important as that of bees or butterflies, mosquitoes are still important for the flora. For example, researchers have shown that they are essential for the survival of certain plants in the Arctic regions.

Finally, mosquito larvae consume microorganisms found in the water as well as residues of other insects, thus participating in the natural cycle of carbon, nitrogen and biomass. Some species can even filter the water in which they thrive, preventing the proliferation of certain aquatic plants that are harmful to their environment.

Therefore, the disappearance of mosquitoes could have harmful consequences for the environment and biodiversity, although no serious study has analysed the real impact that this could have on ecosystems and their food chain.

Therefore, it is better to opt for means to protect themselves from them than to want to eradicate them completely, such as limiting the points of stagnant water around the house or even making the outside attractive to its predators, such as swallows and bats, which are also beneficial for nature unlike insecticides.