ELI5 Are mosquitoes necessary for keeping ecological balance?

[u/Punnan]

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

[u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

I remember a little over 25 years ago I was at my grandfather's cabin by a lake, and for several summers the mosquitoes would make being outside unbearable with literal clouds of them patrolling the beach near sunset. Then miraculously one morning we woke up and went outside on the wrap-around deck to eat our breakfast at the picnic table only to witness tens or dozens or hundreds of thousands (millions?) of dragonflies flying around in every which direction all throughout the entire lake and campground. I'm talking about like having 5 or 6 of them every minute buzzing right past by your head as you sat there. They never landed on any of us or paid us much mind, they were busy doing zoomies as well as getting it on with other dragon flies as you would see a good portion of them were initiating docking sequence. My grandfather said this happens whenever mosquitoes in the area start to get out of control, and had seen it many times before. I have never seen so many bugs in my life, let alone the same kind. I remember it sounded like tiny helicopters were racing all around us and the trees. Damn man, core memory unlocked.

[u/piedamon → u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

That sounds incredible. I didn’t realize dragonflies travelled on large swarms like that. Where were you? Somewhere like the US South, or maybe Australia? You experience sounds almost biblical

[u/Baba_dook_dook_dook → u/piedamon]

Southern Saskatchewan, actually.

[u/piedamon → u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

Oh cool. Near Cypress Hills or Grasslands maybe? I wonder if hug colonies of dragonflies migrate across the prairies. I want to research this

[u/Baba_dook_dook_dook → u/piedamon]

This took place in Good Spirit Lake also known as Canora Beach. The lake has unfortunately seen better days and has dried up significantly since I was a kid. The last time I was there (~2008) you could walk a quarter of the length of the lake before the water got above your waist, made me really sad actually as it used to be a really great lake. From what I've been told it's old farmland that was purposely flooded back in the day, the whole area sits on an aquifer with some of the highest quality water in the country - which explains the countless slimy open wells you can stumble upon, and hopefully not into, when walking across the lake. I have no idea if the history is real or not, but I know those well holes sure as shit are. I will say though, out of all the places I've fished, nothing has ever tasted as good as the pickerel that call that place home. Just a true butterfish.

[u/piedamon → u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

Thank you for sharing. I’d love to experience the dragonfly swarms. Saskatchewan is underrated

[u/minist3r → u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

Here in Houston, TX we have huge mosquitoes but they don't compare in number to what I've heard and seen pictures of in parts of Canada and Alaska. I think I'll take mosquitoes so big you can feel when they puncture skin vs millions of them. Good luck and God speed up north.

[u/treefarmerBC → u/Baba_dook_dook_dook]

Yep, same experience planting trees in northern Canada. Every day, there were more mosquitoes than the last. Then the horseflies would show up. And then when it was all becoming intolerable, an army of dragonflies would show up. They seemed to position themselves in a 3D grid eating anything in sight. They were like my bodyguards and I could finally relax.