We can’t. There are effective population controls though.
Ticks on the other hand could disappear entirely and nothing would be impacted negatively. They’re useless parasites.
We're coming for you
Submitted 5 months ago by Stamets@lemmy.world to memes@sopuli.xyz
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/043f81fc-492e-4306-8ebf-3d2cb12e4edc.jpeg
Comments
db2@lemmy.world 5 months ago
zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Just exterminate the ones that bite humans. The non-biting ones will fill that ecological niche, and then you’re good to go.
Gigasser@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Ticks are bad, but have utility for scientists in seeing if predators of smaller animals have gone out of control in an area.
SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Not enough utility. Death to ticks!
Zozano@lemy.lol 5 months ago
At the risk of derailing the conversation, if you haven’t seen The Last Wish, do yourself a favour.
If you’ve seen the first Puss In Boots and was dissuaded, give this a chance.
The animation is Spiderverse tier, the theming and context of the movie is very much not for children.
If you need convincing, take four minutes to watch this clip of Puss meeting >!death!<
ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 5 months ago
Well now I’m intrigued
Zozano@lemy.lol 5 months ago
I’m curious to know what you think after watching.
kelseybcool@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Seconded.
GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 5 months ago
There are only a few species of mosquitoes that pose a threat to humans (and several thousand that don’t). If we had a way to effectively eradicate those few species, then it probably wouldn’t have major consequences. They don’t fill an important, unique niche in their ecosystems like, say, bees.
But we don’t have a way to do that. Not without huge collateral damage from poisons and the like. There’s been some promising work with genetic engineering, releasing mosquitoes that will mate and produce non-viable offspring. This can greatly reduce a local population in the short-term, but they bounce back.
cm0002@lemmy.world 5 months ago
This can greatly reduce a local population in the short-term, but they bounce back.
Not necessarily, all attempts/experiments done so far have been intentionally limited. If we simply throw the dial to 11 and just absolutely flooded the areas it might have a much more long term impact and possibly eradication
Ullallulloo@civilloquy.com 5 months ago
The US entirely eliminated screwworms within its border in a very similar fashion 60 years ago and then wiped them off the whole continent just for good measure: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olj8arvfYj4
If we actually directed effort at exterminating harmful mosquitos, they would be gone in a couple years.
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
It’s bizarre to me. We do so much carelessly, but here we’re being extra careful? 600,000 people die of malaria every year. A delay of one day means 1,600 people die.
FrostyPolicy@suppo.fi 5 months ago
There’s quite a huge domino effect in the food chain if we would cause mass extinction to mosquitoes as they are the food for many species of birds which are then food for the next thing and so on.
BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 5 months ago
I’m no expert but what I’ve heard is that there are lots of mosquitoes that don’t bite which are more important for the food chain, but the ones that do bite make up a super small part so if we only eliminated the biting species there would still be plenty of other non-malaria-carrying mosquitoes for the food chain.
At least that’s the theory.
Toes@ani.social 5 months ago
Surely something else could be encouraged to fill in the gap? Would love to see more fireflies.
KillerTofu@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Are there species of birds that their sole source of food is mosquitos?
Schmoo@slrpnk.net 5 months ago
The only ones concerned about malaria deaths are also concerned about the ecosystem. The people who are not concerned about the ecosystem are also not concerned about malaria deaths.
ssj2marx@lemmy.ml 5 months ago
600,000 people die of malaria every year
Yeah but what countries are they from. The ones with money do not care about them.
rockSlayer@lemmy.world 5 months ago
There are hundreds of mosquito species, and only a couple dozen decided to evolve into little bastards. Let’s give them hell
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 5 months ago
Last year my bathroom would have 2-3 of them buzzing around every night when I went in there. This year I left a bucket of pine sol water in there a few weeks ago after cleaning and no mosquitoes except the shitload of dead ones in that bucket. Do with that information what you will.
CptEnder@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I had them inside too every winter. Finally realized I should drayno the absolute fuck out of my shower and all gone. I hope they had to watch each other die.
cm0002@lemmy.world 5 months ago
All other mammals: Will you guys hurry up and do something already?! We suffer too!!
CptEnder@lemmy.world 5 months ago
“Destroy this nature!”
Humans: you’re about to see what’s called a pro gamer move
Srsly fuck those little demons
BleatingZombie@lemmy.world 5 months ago
I read a journal about a father and son walking through Canada a long time ago and watching a swarm of mosquitoes take down a bull Moose
niktemadur@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Begun… these Mosquito Wars have.
prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Mosquitos are one of the most prolific pollinatore
sleeped@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Human bitting mosquitos are not pollinators.
Hagdos@lemmy.world 5 months ago
But are we capable of only wiping out the human biting mosquitos without affecting other mosquitos, or even other insects?
madcaesar@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Pollinators of what?
Odemption@sopuli.xyz 5 months ago
Blood for the blood god…
sirico@feddit.uk 5 months ago
Never used to get bit in the UK but something I can’t quite put my finger on has allowed them to exist now.
10_0@lemmy.ml 5 months ago
When you travel to the singular island where they all live
JATtho@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Biting mosquotes can and do spread diseases. Knowing only a few species are a such, please hurry up trimming a few actually bad leaves from the tree-of-life… But not with “dump forever poison everywhere” method the last gens did… (And are still doing sadly)
rockerface@lemm.ee 5 months ago
Since when are we concerned with causing mass extinctions?
activ8r@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Since it would drastically affect our ability to survive!
Wait…
Nevermind.