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What would happen....
WHAT IF MOSQUITOES
DID NOT EXIST
Mosquitoes are actually a large group of insects. They are flies, which means the adults look completely different to baby mosquitoes, known as larvae. The adults also have only two wings, unlike bees and wasps which have four. There are many different types of biting flies. All of them need to take blood from animals – including humans – to be able to lay eggs. we need to understand what mosquitoes are. Mosquitoes are actually a large group of insects. They are flies, which means the adults look completely different to baby mosquitoes, known as larvae. The adults also have only two wings, unlike bees and wasps which have four.
MOSQUITOES STATISTICS;
3500
Mosquitoes are actually
different type of insects
ONLY FEMALE MOSQUITOES BITE HUMANS. THEY NEED OUR BLOOD TO LAY EGGS. MALES DRINK NECTAR TO SURVIVE.
Most are active at night but some are active during the day
A
HOW MALARIA IS SPREAD
If a female mosquito takes blood from someone who is infected with certain types of virus or with a parasitic disease such as malaria, she can spread the disease to someone she bites later. Of all these mosquito species, only the females of about 40 types are truly dangerous because they can pass on diseases that make people sick.
B
DANGEROUS MOSQUITOES
Of all the mosquitoes in the world, there are very few that are really dangerous. The problem is that these few types of mosquitoes spread many dangerous diseases – like malaria. More than 200 million people, most of them here in Africa where you and I live, get the disease every year. If only the mosquitoes that caused malaria disappeared, more than 500,000 lives would be saved per year, most of them children who are younger than five. Most mosquitoes do not bite humans (they get blood from other animals) and some types of mosquitoes don’t bite at all.
C
IF MOSQUITOES DISAPPEARED
If just the dangerous malaria-spreading mosquitoes disappeared, the world would be much healthier. If just these malaria-spreading mosquitoes disappeared, the world would be much healthier. Different kinds of animals, including humans, form what we call ecosystems: we all need each other, in different ways, to survive. And even mosquitoes are needed in ecosystems.
D
ANIMALS NEED MOSQUITOES
There are billions of mosquitoes. That is a lot of insects that could be another animal’s supper. Now, we do not know of any animal that only eats mosquitoes, but there are lots of mosquitoes and they are easy to hunt, so many animals eat them. Baby mosquitoes live in water and are the favourite food of the mosquito fish. Frogs, dragonflies, ants, spiders, geckos and bats, and some other animals, also eat mosquitoes. There are billions of mosquitoes. That is a lot of insects that could be another animal’s supper. Now, we do not know of any animal that only eats mosquitoes, but there are lots of mosquitoes and they are easy to hunt, so many animals eat them. Baby mosquitoes live in water and are the favourite food of the mosquito fish. Frogs, dragonflies, ants, spiders, geckos and bats, and some other animals, also eat mosquitoes. Most mosquitoes do not bite humans (they get blood from other animals) and some types of mosquitoes don’t bite at all.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
1
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO ANIMALS WITH NO MOSQUIOTOES
If all mosquitoes disappeared, many animals would have a lot less food. Imagine if all the rice in the world disappeared. Nobody eats only rice, but if rice disappeared tomorrow, a lot of people would have a lot less food, the same will happen to animals. many animals will starve. Removing every single mosquito from the world wouldn’t have a bad overall effect on the environment. But none of us are sure what will happen to small ecosystems and whether these would be better off without mosquitoes.
2
IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS?
The good news is that clever scientists are working very hard all over the world to figure out how we can deal with the mosquitoes that are dangerous for humans. We may not get rid of all the mosquitoes, but we can help protect humans from the ones that spread disease and make us sick.
3
OTHER THAN BEING FOOD FOR ANIMALS WHAT ELSE DO THEY OFFER TO NATURE?
Male mosquitoes can also help plants breed by pollinating, giving the plants the chance to spread and grow in different places. They do not do it as well as bees, but they are definitely important for some plants such as the Blunt-leaf orchid. They do not do it as well as bees, but they are definitely important for some plants.
4
IF WE GET RID OF ALL MOSQUITOES COULD THERE BE OTHER ISSUES?
There’s also the worry that if we got rid of all mosquitoes they could be replaced by something worse, like another biting insect that might cause more disease or bite more painfully.
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