Week Six
Lesson 6: Mosquito population today & Solutions for control
Mosquito Population
- Mosquitoes can be found everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. They thrive in the United States, and especially in the Southeast. They are most active in humid & warm places with easy access to water. Many are found in tropical countries.
- Africa is is one of the continents where the most mosquito borne diseases occur.
Below Image 1 on the left is of where Dengue (a disease spread by mosquitoes) has occurred, and can occur. Image 2 on the right is when mosquito season is estimated to start in the U.S. states.
So can we control the mosquito's population? What would happen if all mosquitoes were diminished from Earth?
- Firstly, mosquitoes may be pesky and irritating insects, but only a few out of the 3500 species rely on human blood. As we all would probably want to get rid of mosquitoes, they actually play an important role in the environment.
- Most mosquitoes except females, are pollinators, feeding on flowers and other plants. The disappearance of mosquitoes can sway the environmental balance quite significantly.
- These insects are also a part of many organism's diets. They have a role in the food chain, for example, dragonflies eat them. So do fish, frogs and lizards. A part of their diets would be depleted, and then other animals higher up in the food chain will struggle to survive.
- Too much of a reduction in mosquito population could also be bad news for many companies in the mosquito repellent industry.
What options can people use today?
- With advances in technology, in today's world, humans use chemicals and pesticides to prevent mosquitoes and other pests from breeding and living near their homes.
- These chemicals have proven to be quite effective, but harmful too. Spraying pesticides can not only get rid of mosquitoes in your yard, it can harm other plants and organisms as well.
- Many people with mosquito problems in their yards, go straight to buying chemical repellents because they don't know of an effective alternative.
- But, there is an affordable, eco-friendly, and easy to use option that helps keep away these pests.
Click on the video to the right to learn about Biotraps --->
- These biotraps do have a mild insecticide base, but is still one of the best and sustainable options that can be used. It targets female mosquitoes and their larvae, without harming anything else in the environment, and effectively prevents mosquitoes from populating around your home or community. Since it targets female mosquitoes, male mosquitoes will still be around to pollinate your plants and gardens.
Dragonflies are a potential solution
- As discussed in the previous blogs, mosquitoes are an essential part of a dragonfly's diet.
- The dragonfly is one of the most beneficial insects to a garden, and the environment as a whole.
- In the video below: A man in Wilmington, North Carolina had a very bad mosquito and pest problem in his garden. He had previously used insecticide, but the mosquito problem became unbearable. Then, dragonflies began to appear in his garden.
Click to the left to watch a short video on how dragonflies have helped out a gardener in North Carolina!
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- After the dragonflies made their appearance, this gardener noticed the mosquito population in his yard was greatly reduced.
- They pollinated the vegetation while acting as pest control at the same time.
- This video shows that dragonflies are very beneficial creatures to invite to your yard & gardens.
- While products such as Biotraps are still effective and safe, the cultivation of dragonflies proves to be even more sustainable, effective, natural, safe and abundant. It is an option to help your garden thrive while controlling mosquito population without the use of chemicals.
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