this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
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We're coming for you (lemmy.world)
submitted 23 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 hours ago

I think they researched this and found that literally no creature completely rely on mosquitos, and that if they were wiped out the power vaccum would be replaced by other small flying insects that are within the diets of the creatures that would otherwise eat mosquitoes. So yeah, there really isn't anything stopping us from wiping them out. I say do it, and just keep some in a lab just in case if fucks stuff up. Or maybe more reasonably just modify them so they can't suck human blood or pierce human skin, which I'm pretty sure we're also already capable of.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Funny how much (actual scientific) debate is around mosquito extinction event whilst we are well into a mass extinction event we caused (not to mention all the direct and systemic ecosystem eradication such as marshlands of all sorts).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Exactly. If we're going to kill everything else, why not them?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Because then we will have a few years of being able to sit outside in peace before going outside and melting.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

And we as a species are such bastards that we would want them to melt, so it's all going according to plan.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

PLEASE do cockroaches next. I refuse to believe those monstrosities are capable of good, even tangentially.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I saw three in the past hour. Two while I was in the shower, and one in the kitchen. I will do anything to have these fuckers extinct

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 hours ago

You watch naked cock roaches showering?

[–] [email protected] 28 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

If cockroaches went extinct, there would actually be some pretty significant effects on ecosystems. They’re not just pests; they play a crucial role as decomposers. Cockroaches help break down dead organic matter—stuff like leaves, wood, and even dead animals. Without them, you’d start to see a buildup of this kind of waste, and the whole process of nutrient recycling would slow down. This matters because a lot of plants rely on nutrients that get released when organic material decomposes. If that process stalls, it could disrupt plant growth and soil health.

Plus, cockroaches are food for a ton of animals—birds, reptiles, small mammals, and other insects all rely on them. If they disappeared, it would mess with food chains, potentially leading to population drops in species that depend on them. And let’s not forget, cockroaches are also tied into the microbial world. They carry microorganisms that help break down certain materials, so their extinction could mess with those processes too.

So yeah, it’s easy to think the world would be better without them because they’re gross, but in reality, ecosystems would take a pretty big hit if cockroaches went extinct overnight.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah tbh cockroaches get a pass, mosquitoes are an existential threat to our species.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 hours ago

A bit of an exaggeration but fuck em.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago

They’re not just pests

*pets

[–] [email protected] 5 points 14 hours ago

Thanks for this. As much as I hate them, my daughter and I were recently trying to find whether they serve any purpose besides occasionally ruining my life.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Mosquitos feed on apex predators and feed the nearly bottom of the food chain. Imo they're up there with salmon in terms of nutrient transfer, absolutely would cause chaos at all levels if they were eliminated.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Uninformed take. First of, we are working on killing off only a few, malaria carrying Mosquito species in certain regions. Whatever niche they leave will be filled by another, possibly native species of Mosquito.

2nd, nutrient transfer my butt, they carry like 1ml and that's mostly water. You definitely transfer more nutrients by having some ants in your compost bin.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 15 hours ago

Things add up. Total biomass of mosquitos is 5 million tons.

Also mosquitos are pollinators.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The mosquito we see around us are invasive species that we humans brought along as we migrate across the continent. Make sense if their extinction bring neglectable impact to the local ecosystem. They aren't supposed to be there to begin with.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

There is a species of mosquito that is a prolific pollinator, one of them for blueberries.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

If you haven't seen Puss in Boots 2, do yourself a big favor and go see it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

On the surface this seems like it could be a running joke. A sequel to an 11 year old spinoff from Shrek 2. Ridiculous that they came out with such a good film.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago

Who is your favorite fearless hero?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

It's a great movie, it brought me to tears, I highly recommend it.

I'm also just a sucker for Death depictions

[–] [email protected] 6 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Mosquitos are pollinators. And in some parts of the world that have extreme seasons that can't sustain bees, they seem rather important to the ecosystem.

Instead of eradicating them, genetically engineering away the numbing in their saliva that causes the allergic reaction in humans could be a solution.

I'll trade a couple weeks of itchy bites for a briefly painful bite any day.

Sure, humans would kill them instantly on feeling the bite, but most animals are not capable of that. Their populations would be fine.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

You think people want to extinguish mosquitoes because they bite is annoying?!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 14 hours ago

That's why i want every mosquito to burn a thousand deaths. They absolutely feast on me

Preventing the spread of disease is just a happy side effect

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