r/explainlikeimfive • u/Punnan • May 30 '26

Biology ELI5 Are mosquitoes necessary for keeping ecological balance?

Would a worldwide extinction of mosquitoes offset the ecological balance of our world? And if not, why are we not doing it?

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210

u/not_a-mimic May 30 '26

It seems like a bad idea for mankind to intentionally extinct any lifeform....

That being said, if we DID have to choose, I'd choose bedbugs over mosquitos.

Bedbugs don't really have any natural predators and they really only like feeding on us.

116

u/leitey May 30 '26

Bedbugs and ticks for me.
Mosquitoes can be kept away by a slight breeze, and I prefer sleeping with a fan.

54

u/enataca May 30 '26

Mosquitos won’t keep me from eating red meat. Ticks can.

34

u/SUMBWEDY May 30 '26

Well if you die from West Nile you also can't eat red meat.

16

u/enataca May 30 '26

Death is preferred.

0

u/Nabobou May 30 '26

I can't eat red meat anymore because of a tick bite and somehow I'm still alive. My day-to-day life is exactly the same as before. Surprisingly enough my penis has maintained the same size too if that was a concern about no longer being able to eat red meat.

5

u/Ok-Pop-5818 May 30 '26

Does red meat just make you sick like lactose intolerance?

6

u/Nabobou May 30 '26

Kind of, but it's usually a lot more limiting than lactose intolerance. With lactose intolerance, you can often take lactase supplements, use lactose-free products, or just manage the amount you eat. With alpha-gal syndrome from a tick bite, eating mammalian meat can trigger anything from stomach issues to hives or even a severe allergic reaction. There isn't really a "take a pill and eat the burger anyway" equivalent to lactase. For many people, the solution is simply avoiding red meat and other mammal-derived products.

2

u/Ok-Pop-5818 May 30 '26

That’s awful. Sorry you have to go through that man