mike_decock

As we have gotten more skilled at eradicating disease, the human population has exploded. You could argue that the long-term results of eliminating disease is more harmful to the biosphere than letting "nature take it's course". The other argument is that human intervention is simply another way that "nature takes it's course".

Just a thought.

-Mike...

Coragyps

You may well be right, pz, and I would oppose an attempt to do so. But back in the 1960's or so we did completely exterminate the screwworm fly at least north of the Rio Grande in North America, and that was by releasing sterile males. That may have been successful due to the mating habits of that fly - IIRC, the females mate once and only once. Mosquitos in all their diversity may not be that tractable.

Screwworms are another good "created kind" for Darwin's Terrier's list: they got on our Sheltie's rear end about 1962 and damn near killed her, eating live flesh until the vet got them killed off. Not a pretty sight. Where, I wonder, did they bunk on Noah's big boat?

Strawberry

I know that this would devastate the ecosystem. So bear in mind that I am not being serious here.

But fucking christ, I hate mosquitoes, and if we can wipe them out, I say go ahead. Mosquitoes are proof that there is no omnipotent, omnibenevolent God. Or proof that Satan really did take over. I hate mosquitoes almost as much as I hate fire, and I am massively pyrophobic. Mosquito bites keep me from enjoying the out-of-doors, dammit. Kill the buggers.

mongrel

It's funny I started this thread yesterday, and today my son is covered in mozzie bites(I didn't know- I don't live with him).

We all thought he had contracted some sort of illness(including his grandmother, who's a registered nurse), like chicken pox, but the pharmacist we took him to said he'd seen quite a few cases of allergic reactions to mosquito bites just like this over the last few days.

Well, the arctic's already been covered, but as far as repellant goes, the mozzies here seem to love the stuff...

Perhaps it should be called mosquito attractant.

pz

Maybe they are just proof that the creature created in god's image happened to belong to the Diptera.

wonkothesane

Roaches...they all must be destroyed!!! Fuck the ecosystem! The little bastards must go, and that's that!

- bryce

cricket

Lo, now we knoweth.

scombrid

If you don't like deet and happen to visit the artic in summer I have mosquito free zone. I lived in a ranger cabin up at 3300ft in Shenandoah Nat. Park for a summer and we were mosquito free. There's no standing water in the park that I know of so the entire park is mosquito free from 2000ft on up. Of course there are lots of ticks and lots of deer and lyme disease.

Wiping out all mosquitos is a pretty dumb idea. A lot of animals depend on them.

If you live in a mosquito prone area you have to suck it up. I live in guinea now and we've got skeeters out the wazoo down here; especially after a drought dries up all the water holes and kills the poecilids and fundulids (little fish that eat skeeter larvae) and the skeeters bloom when we finally get rain (last fall was a bitch until we got a freeze). They still spray malothion around here occasionally. The idiots sprayed during the day last year and killed all the bees.

Boro Nut

Why bother? They all die after about three days.

Boro Nut

Boro Nut

Let them eat cake. They all do in my garden.

Boro Nut