41–50 of 77 posts
> Must we also evict the magnificently iridescent mosquitoes whose larvae prey on dangerous species, or the ones that pollinate flowers at night, or the single species known to risk its life to protect its eggs from harm?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a problem in Poland too, and if mild continental European climate isn't "meant" for human habitation then I'm afraid nowhere is.
I admit to exaggeration. Humans shoehorning themselves into environments first and then trying to change that environment is just a pet peeve of mine. Draining swamps, irrigating the desert, damming rivers, reclaiming land from the sea or cutting down forests are bad enough but advocating to wipe out a species is a whole another level imo.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well thought out, informative. But still, Kill them all. Noseeums too. I literally cannot be outside my house 3 months of the year unless coated in deet, or head to toe netting. I mean literal clouds of them, and the noseeums in my ears, eyes, death. Death to them all. If all of humanity expires for their lack, I care not, if we take them with us. Death to them all.
Deet? Tiger mosquitoes in my home region don't care about it, I sprayed heavily my shoes and legs with Deet based repellent and within 5min, I had these fuckers trying to bite through my shoes! And I could see them feeding on mint flowers as well.
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But why stop there, if it is even possible to? Hundreds or thousands of species of mosquito, can you genetically target a single one for eradication? And if successful, it's easy to imagine the nuances of different species getting lost in government policies. Compounded by the fact that, maybe aegypti and malaria mosquitos represent an equilibrium that, if disturbed by their genocide...would leave a pathogen-vector v…
Well thought out, informative. But still, Kill them all. Noseeums too. I literally cannot be outside my house 3 months of the year unless coated in deet, or head to toe netting. I mean literal clouds of them, and the noseeums in my ears, eyes, death. Death to them all. If all of humanity expires for their lack, I care not, if we take them with us. Death to them all.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Haha, this is quite funny. I feel you must live in Florida, but I have no idea. First time to hear about these Noseeums, how are their bites compared to mosquito?
Quebec, Canada. Noseeums, as someone else said, are near invisible. They leave rashes, suck blood, can transmit disease. The ones here (there are countless species) leave rashes which take weeks to go away. If you've ever been bit by a deer fly, it's the same thing, except these are super tiny. They literally use their jaws to slice a hole in your skin, and suck the blood up. They also love to suck water and salt fro…
In Oklahoma my wife got bit by some kind of flying thing that left blood running down her leg.
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Well thought out, informative. But still, Kill them all. Noseeums too. I literally cannot be outside my house 3 months of the year unless coated in deet, or head to toe netting. I mean literal clouds of them, and the noseeums in my ears, eyes, death. Death to them all. If all of humanity expires for their lack, I care not, if we take them with us. Death to them all.
Then, maybe, you are living in a place where nobody should have lived in the first place. Population in areas that are not really suited for us is a more widespread problem than we like to admit.
We have made land habitable for millenia, you are arguing for a return to stoneage levels of settlement.
I just want to point out that I've never heard anyone call for the eradication of mosquitoes that don't spread disease in humans, a major premise of the article.
But why stop there, if it is even possible to? Hundreds or thousands of species of mosquito, can you genetically target a single one for eradication? And if successful, it's easy to imagine the nuances of different species getting lost in government policies. Compounded by the fact that, maybe aegypti and malaria mosquitos represent an equilibrium that, if disturbed by their genocide...would leave a pathogen-vector v…
I just want to point out that I've never heard anyone call for the eradication of mosquitoes that don't spread disease in humans, a major premise of the article.
Well then I'll be the first. Let's just kill them, they're annoying.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/aug/05/m...
>Mosquito-eating vampire spider could be recruited for war on malaria
>Cross says that these arachnids, also known as vampire spiders, “love” feeding on human blood as it gives them an odour that renders them sexually attractive to potential mates.
>But the spiders pose no danger to humans, the researchers say. Even though they like human blood, they lack specialised mouth parts to pierce people’s skin. Instead, to get the nutritious blood meal, the spiders feed on the female mosquitoes that carry blood sucked from humans. “Their compound eyes give them clear eyesight. And just like a cat, they stalk their prey and pounce on them at the right moment,” she says. The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Arachnology, says that the spiders identify female Anopheles mosquitoes through their up-tilted abdomens — a resting posture they adopt after feeding on human blood.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/to-study-...
>To study vampire spiders, build Frankenstein mosquitoes
>They confronted captive spiders with lures built from body parts of dead mosquitoes, which had been glued together in different combinations like miniature Frankenstein’s monsters. The spiders saw two lures at a time, and Nelson noted which they pounced upon. “They are easy-to-handle, patient spiders,” she says. “Being so picky, it means we can ask them questions and get answers regarding their preferences that makes it seem like they answered in English.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evarcha_culicivora
>Evarcha culicivora is a species of jumping spider (family Salticidae) found only around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda.[1] At maturity, E. culicivora spiders have an average size of 5 mm for both males and females. The range in size for either sex is quite small, with females being only slightly larger on average (4-7 mm compared to 3-6 mm).[2]
>It is commonly known as the vampire spider because it indirectly desires the blood of vertebrates. It does this by predating on blood-sucking female mosquitoes in the genus Anopheles, the mosquito responsible for transmitting malaria in the region, as well as other vector-borne diseases in humans.[1] Experimentally, these spiders are considered Anopheles specialists.[3] E. culicivora has an association with the native plants Lantana camara and Ricinus communis. They consume the nectar for food and preferentially use these plants as a location for courtship.[4]
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Well thought out, informative. But still, Kill them all. Noseeums too. I literally cannot be outside my house 3 months of the year unless coated in deet, or head to toe netting. I mean literal clouds of them, and the noseeums in my ears, eyes, death. Death to them all. If all of humanity expires for their lack, I care not, if we take them with us. Death to them all.
Add some birdfeeders around your house, and if swallows start to build their nests on your home, let them. I live next to wetlands, but the birds eat the bugs. Swallows specifically eat over 10,000 mosquitoes a day, so if you get them established on your property, it makes a huge difference.
Thanks for the suggest, but it is just hopeless.