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Mosquitoes keep or kill?

Started by Tank, April 09, 2018, 06:32:03 AM

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Tank

Quote from: Rift Zone on April 08, 2018, 10:50:32 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 08, 2018, 08:01:55 PM
except for mosquitoes, I absolutely loathe mosquitoes!
Heard that...    I usually don't approve of genocide, but i'd make an exception for them.   grrr!
They are a significant food source for birds, fish and amphibians. So if we could get rid of them should we?
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

No one

There's a skeeter on my peter,
whack it off, whack it off.
There's a skeeter on my peter,
whack it off, whack it off.
There's a skeeter on my peter,
There's a skeeter on my peter,
There's a skeeter on my peter,
whack it off.

He's been buzzin' round my cousin,
whack'em off, whack'em off
He's been buzzin' round my cousin,
whack'em off, whack'em off
He's been buzzin' round my cousin,
He's been buzzin' round my cousin,
He's been buzzin' round my cousin,
whack'em off.

jumbojak

If we could selectively eliminate the species that carry diseases I'd be okay with it.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

hermes2015

I don't know, guys. Please don't think I am diminishing the dangers of malaria, but I just feel very uncomfortable with the idea of wiping out a species because it is a nuisance to us. Perhaps we should rather try to address the health issues and work on better ways to repel mosquitoes.
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

xSilverPhinx

I don't think it's ethical to completely wipe out a species because they are a nuisance to us, but we've tampered with natural habitats and ecosystems to such a degree that mosquitoes' natural predators may have diminished in numbers. On the flip side, urban environments provide adequate breeding ground for urban mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as Yellow Fever and Dengue, among others. Less predators, more breeding grounds = more mosquitoes.

A lot of money is spent on educational campaigns to instruct the population on how to lessen the number of viable breeding grounds for mosquitoes, namely, containers of all sorts that collect water. Even so, every now and then there is an outbreak of some disease which uses mosquitoes as a vector. Zika was what is was, recently Yellow Fever had the most populated and populous state in Brazil in a panic. Vaccines were being rationed.

So yeah...the downsides of living in a tropical area is it comes with all sorts of tropical diseases. With global warming some countries in the northern hemisphere will probably not be so pleased to 'meet' them.

So, IMO, while mosquitoes should not be entirely wiped out, their numbers should be definitely be controlled in any way possible. 
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


jumbojak

Malaria used to be very common in the US as far north as Ohio. There was a concerted effort to eliminate those mosquitos that carried malaria, and it worked, so diseases that are commonly considered "tropical" are far more wide ranging than many believe. Hell, the DMZ separating Korea is a hotpot for malaria and if MASH is to be believed it gets rather chilly there in winter.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

Rift Zone

Quote from: Tank on April 09, 2018, 06:32:03 AM
Quote from: Rift Zone on April 08, 2018, 10:50:32 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on April 08, 2018, 08:01:55 PM
except for mosquitoes, I absolutely loathe mosquitoes!
Heard that...    I usually don't approve of genocide, but i'd make an exception for them.   grrr!
They are a significant food source for birds, fish and amphibians. So if we could get rid of them should we?
Ecological niches have a way of being filled back in, so I'm not all that concerned with other species losing them as a food source.   I do have serious ethical reservations about genocide, however, irrespective of species.   Still, I note that we are in the middle of a mass extinction RIGHT NOW!  -Species have not died out this fast since the dinosaurs got wiped out some 65 mil years ago; and I certainly wouldn't mind mosquitoes going with them.  My biggest concern would be lack of exposure to pathogens mosquitoes carry; just like we're making "stronger" bugs with all our attempts to keep us healthy, mosquitoes are making stronger humans by making us deal with all that crap.  Lack of regular exposure could place us at greater risk.   All things considered, my official stance would be to not get involved.   I could endorse localized population removal, but not genocide.   I'm inclined to think I'd be privately rooting for team wipe em out if it came to that, but that's a preliminary stance...   who knows?
In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival.   -Carl Sagan

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: jumbojak on April 09, 2018, 11:33:51 PM
Malaria used to be very common in the US as far north as Ohio. There was a concerted effort to eliminate those mosquitos that carried malaria, and it worked, so diseases that are commonly considered "tropical" are far more wide ranging than many believe. Hell, the DMZ separating Korea is a hotpot for malaria and if MASH is to be believed it gets rather chilly there in winter.

:notsure: Odd that Korea's DMZ is a hotspot for malaria, especially since I imagine there isn't a lot of people there. As for other tropical diseases, there are other factors influencing their spread throughout the world, such as international travel as well, but many predict that it will get worse up there in the future as the disease vectors migrate to areas which weren't previously as mosquito-friendly. Maybe malaria will make a comeback...

In my home you could easily find more than 20 mosquitoes on a wall if you forget to seal the windows in the late afternoon during the summer. I live in the coldest region of Brazil...which doesn't get cold for real, but there is a difference in the sheer amount of mosquitoes that you find in your house depending on the season.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


jumbojak

The DMZ has an awful lot of people lining either side. No Man's Land is an ideal breeding ground. Due to the threat of landmines and general hostility on both sides it's almost impossible to reduce the mosquito population. Tourists in the area and outside contractors fare the worst.

"Amazing what chimney sweeping can teach us, no? Keep your fire hot and
your flue clean."  - Ecurb Noselrub

"I'd be incensed by your impudence were I not so impressed by your memory." - Siz

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: jumbojak on April 10, 2018, 12:53:41 AM
The DMZ has an awful lot of people lining either side. No Man's Land is an ideal breeding ground. Due to the threat of landmines and general hostility on both sides it's almost impossible to reduce the mosquito population. Tourists in the area and outside contractors fare the worst.

Makes sense. :smilenod:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Bad Penny II

Mosquitoes are extreme in arctic regions I think, haunting the poor old reindeer.

I wouldn't mind getting rid of the ones that bite me, there's plenty of others.
Take my advice, don't listen to me.

Dragonia

Oh heck yeah, growing up in Alaska, everyone joked that mosquitoes were the official state bird. They could be maddeningly oppressive. Like, the smell of mosquito repellent is the smell of my childhood summers. Good times.
And there's nothing worse than camping, setting up your tent, getting all sleepy from the campfire, and whatever else you were doing, snuggling down into your sleeping bag.... And then hear them buzzing inside your tent. Dive-bombing your ears, knowing they'll end up sucking your blood at some point, but not being able to see them to kill them.... GAH!
But as much as I detest them, I think it would be terribly dangerous to wipe them out completely. Population control, through natural means, fine. But they serve some functions in the world, and who knows what effect their disappearance would have. 
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato (?)

hermes2015

Quote from: Dragonia on April 11, 2018, 01:37:51 PM
Oh heck yeah, growing up in Alaska, everyone joked that mosquitoes were the official state bird. They could be maddeningly oppressive. Like, the smell of mosquito repellent is the smell of my childhood summers. Good times.
And there's nothing worse than camping, setting up your tent, getting all sleepy from the campfire, and whatever else you were doing, snuggling down into your sleeping bag.... And then hear them buzzing inside your tent. Dive-bombing your ears, knowing they'll end up sucking your blood at some point, but not being able to see them to kill them.... GAH!
But as much as I detest them, I think it would be terribly dangerous to wipe them out completely. Population control, through natural means, fine. But they serve some functions in the world, and who knows what effect their disappearance would have.

Luckily mosquitoes are very rare where I live, even now in summer. Do the ultrasonic repellers work?
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."
― Charles Eames

Dave

There is an anti-flying-bloodsucker industry!

Devices comprised of a CO2 source and a sort of vacuum cleaner are available. I have seen the "output" of these things, a bag full of midges and mossies in a single day!  Maybe a source of fish food/bait? But even the tens of thousands of little suckers in that bag will only be a tiny nibble at the whole problem. In Scotland clegs are also a problem, mossies on steroids!

http://www.midgetech.com
Tomorrow is precious, don't ruin it by fouling up today.
Passed Monday 10th Dec 2018 age 74

Bad Penny II

Quote from: hermes2015 on April 11, 2018, 01:51:08 PM

Luckily mosquitoes are very rare where I live, even now in summer. Do the ultrasonic repellers work?

It's all answered here:

Take my advice, don't listen to me.