Mosquitoes serve as food for many animals and as pollinators for some plants, though they are best known for spreading disease.
Benefits
- Food for fish, frogs, birds, bats and dragonflies.
- Pollination: male mosquitoes and females feed on nectar and pollinate some plants such as certain orchids.
- Nutrient cycling in water.
Downsides
Mosquitoes spread malaria, dengue and Zika. They are linked to about 700,000 deaths a year.
Ecology
Removing them might have little effect on ecosystems, as other insects fill the role.
Prevention
Use repellent and remove standing water.
Ecological roles
Of about 3,500 mosquito species, only a fraction bite humans, and only females bite, since they need blood protein to produce eggs. Males feed on nectar and some species pollinate plants, including certain orchids. Mosquito larvae filter-feed on microorganisms and detritus in water and are food for fish, dragonfly nymphs and amphibians. Adults feed bats, birds, spiders and dragonflies.
- Research on removal suggests that few species would be missed in ecosystems, though ecological effects are uncertain.
- Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal to humans, with malaria alone causing an estimated 608,000 deaths in 2022, according to the WHO.
- Aedes aegypti spreads dengue, Zika and chikungunya.
Prevention
Remove standing water weekly, use EPA-registered repellents with DEET (20 to 30 percent), picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus, wear long sleeves and use screens and nets. Genetically modified mosquito programs, Wolbachia releases and malaria vaccines (R21 and RTS,S) are new tools.
Ecological roles
Mosquitoes feed many animals, including fish, birds and bats, and male mosquitoes feed on nectar and act as minor pollinators. However, the WHO says mosquitoes are the deadliest animal because of diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika and West Nile. Malaria alone killed about 608,000 people in 2022.
Prevention
Use repellents with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus, drain standing water and use screens or nets.
Ecological roles
Only female mosquitoes bite, because they need blood protein to produce eggs. Males and females feed on nectar and may pollinate some plants, including certain orchids. Larvae filter organic matter and bacteria out of water and are food for fish, dragonfly nymphs and amphibians. Adults feed birds, bats, spiders and dragonflies.
Why eradication is debated
Of about 3,500 mosquito species, around 100 spread human disease, and mosquitoes cause an estimated 700,000 or more deaths a year through malaria, dengue and other illnesses, according to the World Health Organization. Ecologists think losing the few disease carrying species, such as Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti, would probably have limited ecological effect, while removing all species is unclear. Gene drive and sterile male releases are tested, along with Wolbachia infected mosquitoes that block dengue transmission.
Based on data from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
