Should we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?

[Blue Frost]

I sometimes wonder what they are good for, do they even have a a use in nature ?
Being I like what some people call pest, and nasty like bats, snakes, and some spiders I take killing off a species very seriously.
What is their benefit, what relies on them, is there any good thing about them ?
I see very little use for mosquitoes.

Should we wipe mosquitoes off the face of the Earth?
http://www.theguardian.com/global/2016/ ... -the-earth
Even before the Zika virus, mosquitoes were the deadliest creatures on the planet. But gene modification means these blood suckers’ days might be numbered. Is it dangerous to talk about ‘editing nature’, or should we consider eradicating them for good?


Wednesday 10 February 2016 14.33 EST
Last modified on Thursday 11 February 2016 11.51 EST

When an Aedes aegypti mosquito bites you, she – because only the females, which need blood as nutrients for their offspring, bite – will probe your skin with her proboscis as many as 20 times. Two pairs of sharp cutting edges, the fascicle, break the skin and then search for a blood vessel, withdrawing and re-entering until a suitable target is found. When the blood starts to flow, a salivary tube delivers a protein that stops it clotting. The mosquito holds still and then begins to suck; in 90 seconds’ time, she feels full, and stops. And then, if you are in parts of South and Central America and bang out of luck, you will have Zika.

It’s a horrible idea, and one that will draw shudders from anyone who has ever been bitten by a mosquito – which is to say, just about everyone. In the entire animal kingdom, the mosquito occupies a special place as receptacle for our hatred and disgust. Even the great and generous EO Wilson, author of the touchstone argument for preserving biodiversity, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, makes an exception for anopheles gambiae, which spreads malaria in Africa. “Keep their DNA for future research,” he writes, “and let them go.”

When Wilson thus hardens his heart, he speaks for us all. Where we revere and anthropomorphise such brutal predators as sharks, tigers and bears, we view these tiny ectoparasites as worthless, an evolutionary accident with no redeeming or adorable characteristics. No one ever had a cuddly mosquito. Thanks to malaria, they have probably helped to kill more than half of all humans ever to have lived. Today, according to the Gates foundation, the diseases they carry kill about 725,000 people a year, 600,000 of them victims of malaria. They are, as such, the only creature responsible for the deaths of more humans than humans themselves; we only manage to kill about 475,000 a year. This deadly work is carried out all over the planet: mosquitoes are found on every continent except Antarctica. And now there is Zika, which can lead to microcephaly and its associated physical deformities in unborn children, and for which there is no vaccine. This new horror has prompted fresh attention to the vexed question of how to defeat them. And that consideration leads to an unsentimental thought that we would entertain about no other creature: can’t we wipe them off the face of the Earth?


“I don’t think most people would have any qualms about totally eliminating them,” says Professor Hilary Ranson, head of vector biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. “I spend most of my time trying to keep them alive and study them, but that’s in order to try to kill them. Ultimately I wouldn’t be too sentimental.” Professor Steve Lindsay, a public-health entomologist at the University of Durham agrees: “I have no problem with taking out the mosquito.”

In reality, as Lindsay and Ranson are quick to point out, the total extinction of all mosquito species would be as senseless as it would be impossible. Of the 3,000 varieties on the planet, only 200 or so bite us; only Aedes aegypti, and perhaps the more common Culex quinquefasciatus, are thought to carry Zika. Besides, as Jules Pretty, professor of environment and society at the University of Essex, points out: “In lots of environments, especially the Arctic north, where their abundance is utterly dispiriting, they are a vital source of food for animals higher up the food chain.” A total mosquito apocalypse would be a catastrophe.

There are extinction options. It wouldn’t be easy, but we shouldn’t forget about it
Jo Lines

But what about a narrower specicide, wiping out Aedes aegypti, and dealing a devastating blow to Zika, dengue fever and chikungunya alike? Well, that might be much more desirable – and much more achievable. “We’ve got really good new weapons,” says Dr Jo Lines, reader of malaria control and vector biology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “There are extinction options. It wouldn’t be easy, but we shouldn’t forget about it.”

For Lines, there is a more pressing case for the eradication of aegypti, as a carrier of dengue fever, than any other species of mosquito. “There is no visible end to this except a war against aegypti,” he says. “Otherwise this is going to go on for a thousand years.” He points out that because aegypti are thoroughly adapted to a man-made environment, unlike the anopheles variety that carry malaria, they will only become more prevalent as the human population and its accompanying urban sprawl grow. “The other things we’ll build out. West Nile, malaria … but this is not going to fade away. These things are like rats and pigeons. We give them their home and food.”

So how, exactly, would we go about it? For the specicide advocates, the most promising means of attack lies in a cutting-edge technology known as a gene drive, the subject of much excited reporting in recent weeks. And no wonder, so seductively dystopian is its premise: that a species can be eradicated by altering the genetic code of males in captivity so that they will only be able to produce sterile offspring, then releasing them into the wild to mate with unsuspecting females, rendering the next generation barren. Oxitec, a British company that has pioneered this kind of genetic modification, has been conducting trials since 2009, and has a production facility in Campinas, Brazil. And it is not alone.

“It really has been a gamechanger,” says Andrea Crisanti, professor of molecular parasitology at Imperial College London. “We are able to modify the gene with unprecedented precision and flexibility.” Crisanti, a leading expert in the field, has focused his own work on a similar mechanism that fights the malaria-carrying Anopheles gambiae, but he says that it could be exported to other species as well. “There are lots of advantages. If it doesn’t work, nobody has to worry: if they can’t breed, the GM is selected out. If it works, in theory you have total extinction. And if people are concerned about that, you can keep some in the laboratory and reintroduce them. So it is totally reversible.” He gives a small laugh, and sounds freshly amazed at the power of the technology at his fingertips. “We can edit nature,” he says. “This is an incredible new development.”

There are practical impediments to this plan at the moment, though. “The number of sterile males you’d have to release is just phenomenal,” says Ranson. All the same, the approach could make huge inroads in controlling the population, and extinction may be a realistic goal. Crisanti acknowledges the risks that his work brings with it. “But on the battlefield of risk-management, you have to accept that any measure has a risk to be balanced against the benefit. There is a risk we all rush, and that shouldn’t be done. We shouldn’t implement this on an emotional basis just because we don’t have anything else. And we shouldn’t take shortcuts in the regulatory process. We don’t want it to backfire when it could be a gamechanger for public health.”

If people are concerned, you can keep some in the lab and reintroduce them. It is totally reversible. We can edit nature
Andrea Crisanti

Still, talk of “editing nature” will unnerve those who are naturally suspicious of such radical moves, and for whom the term “genetic modification” is an automatic red flag. Some fear that the precise effects on the mosquitoes’ ecosystems are still hazy (while they might be our nemeses, there are fish that think they’re delicious). But most biologists are confident that such fears are misplaced. “Ecosystems would adapt,” says Ranson. “There are so many similar mosquito species that don’t transmit disease that something else would fulfil that niche without doing any major harm.”

Lines agrees: “Everywhere they exist, apart from parts of east Africa, they are an invasive species. So getting rid of them would be a boon to the ecosystem. What are the local things that eat aegypti that might say, ‘Now we’re hungry’? Well, there are fish and insects that eat the larvae and bats that eat the adults, and birds and geckos, but all of those predators have got other things to eat.”

For others, the attention-grabbing qualities of a genetically modified mosquito spreading its poisoned seed are a source of more frustration than wonder; a distraction from on-the-ground efforts that could make a substantial difference in the fight against Zika and dengue fever right away. “What it mainly is is irritating,” says Lindsay. “Everyone talks about vaccines and GM, but actually we can control this vector by much simpler means.” Lindsay points out that aegypti were eliminated from much of South America in the 1960s by the simple mechanism of spraying containers with oil, kerosene and, later, the controversial pesticide DDT. Today, with a much larger human population and some pesticide resistance, that process is much more difficult; above all, the growth in the population of aegypti is down to our rapid increase in plastic consumption; it provides the mosquitos with an ideal breeding ground.

“There is so much misinformation out there,” Lindsay says. “You see pictures of large open areas of stagnant water. But that’s not where the danger is. This thing breeds in small containers: flowerpots, gutters, tyres, water bottles. It’s about screening buildings, putting up nets, spraying insecticide in laundry areas. That’s not something for health professionals: that’s about educating and empowering communities so that they can reduce the risk themselves.” So vexed is Lindsay by the way this crucial message is, in his view, being drowned out, that he and a group of colleagues have written a letter to the Lancet, shortly to be published, urging a renewed focus on these less exotic measures. “We have tools available,” it reads, “that we can use to defeat this mosquito vector today.”

Professor Trudie Lang, a senior research fellow at Oxford and head of the Global Health Network, tells a similar story. Her research is focused on improving public health, and connecting researchers and health workers in developing countries. It is, again, an unglamorous specialism – but a critical one, for the fight against Zika as much as anything else.

“There’s this incredible study on foetal scans and baby measurements,” Lang explains, “which will mean that at least people can interpret the scans properly; if the problem is with foetal development then we have to know how that occurs. But these kinds of big studies are really underfunded, and because this kind of research doesn’t get any attention, that’s why we are where we are with Zika. The really hi-tech, GM stuff – bring it on. Marvellous. It gets people excited, it gets the [research] papers in Nature. But the normal, everyday stuff – the pragmatic, frontline research – can make some of the biggest differences. And it’s very, very difficult to get funding to support research-capacity development.” Read the deadly last three words of that quote and you will see exactly where the problem lies. “The trouble,” Lang says with a sigh, “is that it just isn’t sexy.”


It is hard to prove a direct causal link between the exoticised enthusiasm for wiping out a species on the one hand and the underfunding of such crucial work on the other. All the same, there is a certain bitter irony that in an attempt to beat a disease whose impact will be felt most keenly by women and their unborn children, and which has been exacerbated by a shortage of funding for studies that would focus on the wellbeing of women in developing countries, we are contemplating a macho solution that entails sending male mosquitoes to impregnate as many females as possible, with the ultimate ambition of wiping the enemy off the face of the Earth.

Whatever the priorities, no scientist disputes that if the technology were to be perfected, the gene-drive plan would be a remarkable boon to public health. Yet there may be other, more abstract, objections contained in the eerie idea of that word: extinction, the permanent eradication of a species that has evolved and survived for thousands of years. Melanie Challenger, author of On Extinction: How We Became Estranged from Nature, travelled from England to South America to the Antarctic to think about how we contend with the elimination of the species. “Is there a more intrinsic philosophical reason why we shouldn’t drive an animal to extinction?” she asks. “My instinct is: yes. If a part of our brain lights up with caution, that’s a really good instinct, and we should heed it. I don’t think ‘love of nature’ is a good reason not to do it. But I do think there’s something more robust: the sanctity of life. If you start getting cavalier about the existence of a living being, if we start to think it’s OK to eradicate something because it’s a threat to us, we put other ideas about the sanctity of life in question. And because that’s ultimately an artificial, human concept, it needs to be cherished.”

Yet even Challenger acknowledges that such arguments might seem a bit abstract to the mother of a child who will be deformed because of Zika, or killed by malaria. “I’m a mum,” she says, “and no one can understand more than a mother the heartache and importance and power of keeping your children alive.” Crisanti has a ready riposte to such abstract concerns: if we had already wiped out aegypti, would we ever contemplate reintroducing them? “When you reverse the argument,” he says, “I think it’s clear.”

In the end, if the technical and ecological objections can be overcome, it seems unlikely that philosophical arguments for the sanctity of aedes aegypti will hold sway. The mosquito has so ravaged us, for so long, that for most people it has exhausted all rights of appeal. Pretty, whose work straddles the arts and sciences, has also written about extinction. In his book, The Edge of Extinction, he considers how different cultures deal with the loss of species and habitats that surround them. It is fair to say that he is an advocate of conservation. But even he has his limit. “If one has a hierarchy of thoughts,” he says, “the first would be that it would be desirable if we humans had a lighter impact and that any loss is one that should be deeply worrying. And in most cases you can stop at that point. But here you can ask the second question: if there was a loss of a whole species, would there be a human benefit? And in this case, the human benefit is so great that I think you have to say: ‘OK, I can hold these two thoughts at once.’”

[Blue Frost]

[video][/video]

[Gary Oak]

Mosquitos are a large part of the diets of many birds and other insects, fish fry etc... and the big red full of blood ones must be tasty surprise for them.

[Blue Frost]

I would wipe them out, and ticks if i could, there is plenty of other things fish could eat.

[Gary Oak]

I would like to get rid of ticks and bedbugs. Both of them just look evil. I went for a hike at Crowsnest Mountain and picked off five and my girlfriend found one on the back of my head that had been living the good life for a few months. I heard that one in five has the lyme disease too. I got lucky I believe.

[Blue Frost]

We had a lot of ticks here last year, i found a lot trying to get to me when I sit on the ground, and on the blocks out back.
Last fall I killed 6 of them while I painted the deck.
Bedbugs was gone here till the Mexicans brought them back, if ever in a junk store, or used clothing store it's a good idea not to bring the stuff in till it's washed, and dried well.
High head of a dryer will kill them.

[Blue Frost]

22 Home Remedies for Ticks
December 10, 2013 http://www.homeremedyshop.com/home-remedies-for-ticks/

What are Ticks?

Ticks are the tiny parasites, which looks like a spider. They are a part of the arachnid family. They are actually arthropods, which are neither spiders nor insects. They attach themselves to the body of human or animal and sucks blood. They are usually present in fur of various animals, especially dogs and cats. These tiny parasites are mostly active during warm weather, like summers or spring.
Who are attacked with ticks?

People, who work in zoos, or maintain farm, or travel to some exotic location, are attacked with ticks. Animals, like cats and dogs, can also be attacked with ticks. Most ticks are not harmful and do not cause any diseases.
Symptoms

Tick bite is usually painless. It remains painless even after the bite. But, several problems arise when tick falls off after feeding blood. The signs and symptoms are:

Itching
Redness
Burning
Localized intense pain
Rashes
Shortness of breath
Numbness
Swelling
Weakness
Vomiting
Fever
Headache
Joint pain

Home Remedies for Ticks

It becomes very upsetting, when our lovable pets are attacked with ticks and fleas. Various lotions and creams are available in the market to get rid of ticks. But, they might not be as effective as home remedies.

1. Aromatherapy Oil

Aromatherapy oils, like basil, lemon, cinnamon, cedar, lavender, and pennyroyal are the natural repellent for ticks. For removing ticks, prepare a mixture of any three oils. Mix one drop each of the three oils chosen and pure almond oil. Stir it well, and soak a cloth in it. Wrap this cloth on your pet. This remedy also helps in removing ticks from human skin. Just apply it on the skin.

2. Citrus

Citrus is abundantly found in oranges and lemon. All you need to do is to prepare natural repellent oil from these citrus fruits. Take out peels of lemon or orange and boil them. Let it cool down naturally. Apply it on the affected area of pets.

Note- This remedy is not suitable for cats as they do not like citrus fragrances.

You can also add juice of lemon or orange in a cup of water. Allow it to boil for some time. In the solution, add 5-15 drops of lemongrass oil. Shake it well and let it cool down. Apply it gently on the affected area.

3. Rose Geranium Essential Oil

One of the most popular tick repellents is rose geranium essential oil. Add 20 drops of rose geranium essential oil in three tablespoons of almond oil. Mix it well and apply a few drops on your pet’s fur, especially around the collar.

Note- This remedy should be used only on dogs.

4. Combs

Combs are the cheapest and easiest remedy against ticks. Whenever you return from a morning walk, do not forget to comb your pet. Combing once in a day helps in removing ticks, crawling on pet’s fur. Combs will surely sweep off ticks and prevent irritation.

5. Neem Oil

Neem oil is the most common oil, preferred for removing ticks from pet. The anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties of neem oil are meant to fight against harmful ticks. All you are required to do is to pour a few drops of neem oil on your palm and gently rub it on the affected region.

Dogs with sensitive skin can also be treated with neem oil by diluting it. For diluting, you have to mix neem oil with any light carrier oil, like jojoba or almond oil. Pour a little quantity of mixed oil on palm and rub it gently on pet, covering the affected area.

You can also prepare a spray with the help of organic neem oil. You have to mix ½ ounce of organic neem oil with ½ or ¼ ounce of mild detergent or soap. Stir it well and add this solution to two cups of water. If you want a stronger solution, mix 2 ml soap with two cups of water. Then, add 5 ml neem oil to it. Fill it in a spray bottle and use it immediately.

Neem oil is also helpful in removing ticks from human. Just apply a few drops of neem oil gently on the skin, especially covering the affected area.

Note- Use the spray immediately as it can last maximum for 8 hours. Neem oil is not suitable for cats.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar or ACV can be a beneficial remedy for removing ticks. You just have to prepare a spray with the help of apple cider vinegar. Pour 8 ounce of apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Add 4 ounce of warm water in it. Stir it well adding half teaspoon each of salt and baking soda. Fill the solution in a spray bottle and shake it well before use.

You can also use apple cider vinegar with lavender oil for removing ticks. Mix 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in one cup of water. Add 15 drops of lavender oil in it. Mix it well and apply it on your pet’s fur.

It can also be used with neem oil. Take 500 ml water and add 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to it. Stir the mixture well adding two tablespoons of neem oil. Apply this solution on dogs to kill ticks. You can also spray this mixture on curtains, walls, and carpets.

7. Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is a natural tick repellent. Instead of using alcohol on pet, use witch hazel. Just mix witch hazel and lemon eucalyptus oil in 10:1 ratio, stir the solution well and fill it in a spray bottle. Spray it on your pet to kill ticks.

You can also prepare a spray by pouring 8 ounce of distilled water in a bottle. Add half teaspoon of vegetable glycerin and 30-40 drops of essential oil in it. Add enough witch hazel to fill the bottle. Shake it well and use to kill ticks and fleas or bugs, present in bed, curtains, mattress, etc.

8. Lemon Juice

The citrus acid, present in lemon, helps in removing ticks naturally. You just have to use a fresh lemon against ticks. Squeeze out some fresh lemon juice directly on ticks or affected area of pet.

You can also prepare a spray with ingredients, like lemon juice, peppermint oil, and citrus oil. Mix all the substances equally and spray it on required places.

You can also prepare a disinfectant solution for bathing your pet, with the help of lemon juice. Squeeze out the juice of lemon in a cup of water. Also add peels and pulp in the water. Put it on simmer for a few hours. Pour this solution in regular bath water.

You can slice a lemon and put it in a bowl of boiling water. Leave it overnight. Dip a sponge in the solution and apply it on troubling area of your pet.

9. Cedar Oil Spray

To get rid of ticks, use a cedar oil spray. Cedar oil acts as a repellent to harmful ticks. Use cedar oil spray, once in a day. Apply it directly on pet’s face, collar, and tummy area. This will surely drag out ticks from pet’s fur.

10. Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils are rich in sulphur, which acts as a natural repellent for ticks. You have to mix two teaspoons of vegetable oil with 10 drops of peppermint essential oil. Add one teaspoon of dish washing liquid. Stir the mixture well. Apply it on pet’s body. Do not apply near eyes, ears, or mouth. For best results, practise this method once a week.

11. Vaseline

It is very simple to use Vaseline for removing ticks. Just take some Vaseline in your palm and rub it gently on pet’s fur, covering the infected area. Vaseline suffocates the ticks, and they will get die. After applying Vaseline, comb pet’s fur. This method will remove ticks easily.

12. Garlic

Garlic is a strong repellent for ticks. Garlic should be consumed in sufficient amount. When it comes to dogs, they cannot intake raw garlic. Garlic is more toxic than onions and can cause anaemia or damage red blood cells in dogs. Dogs should be served with food and soups, containing garlic.

You can also use garlic powder in place of raw garlic. Simply add 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder per pound of regular dog food.

13. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural remedy for removing ticks from pet’s body. To use baking soda against ticks, you need to mix half teaspoon each of baking soda and salt. Add this dry mixture to four ounces of apple cider vinegar. Pour this mixture in a spray bottle, filled with 4 ounce of warm water. Spray it on pets.

Note: While spraying it, ensure that it does not reach the pet’s eyes.

You can also make a paste by adding little quantity of water in two tablespoons of baking soda. Apply it directly on problematic area.

14. Permethrin

Permethrin is a toxic substance, used to kill ticks. Simply spray it on curtains, clothes, and mattresses. Ticks get killed when they come in contact with Permethrin. There are various Permethrin formulations, which are registered for use on dogs and cats.

You can also dip a sponge in Permethrin-10 solution. Rub it gently on pet’s body to kill ticks. The Permethrin solution lasts for 3-4 weeks.

Alternatively, make a spray out of Permethrin. Just mix 2 ounce of Permethrin solution with 1 ounce of citronella. Also add a few drops of rosemary oil and four ounces of apple cider vinegar. Stir it well and fill it in a spray bottle. Shake it well before use.

15. Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil is very effective against ticks. To prepare eucalyptus spray, you have to boil 15-20 leaves of eucalyptus in approximately 1 litre water. Let it boil for 10 minutes. After boiling, let it cool down at room temperature. Strain the solution in a spray bottle. Use the solution to kill ticks.

You can also make spray by using eucalyptus oil. You are required to fill a spray bottle with 4 ounces of distilled water. Add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil in it. Shake it well before use.

16. Liquid Dish Detergent

Liquid dish detergent is beneficial in killing ticks. All you have to do is to pour some liquid dish detergent in a bowl. With the help of a cotton ball, apply it on pet’s body, covering the infected area.

Note- Liquid dish detergent is not suitable for pets, allergic to soap.

17. Orange

Orange is rich in citric acid, which helps in removing ticks. Squeeze out some juice from 1-2 oranges. Apply it on pet’s body with the help of a cotton ball.

You can also apply some orange oil on the affected area. It is also a natural tick repellent.

18. Clove

The anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties of clove help in killing ticks. It has been used for removing ticks and fleas from pets. Pour some clove oil on palm and rub it gently on pet’s fur.

A spray can also be prepared with the help of some peppermint oil, clove extracts and water.

19. Tea Tree Oil

The medicinal properties of tea tree oil help in killing ticks from pets. Tea tree oil can be used in different ways to kill ticks. Add a few drops of tea tree oil in regular shampoo of your pet.

You can add a few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle, filled with water, and spray it directly on pet’s body. Else, put a few drops of tea tree oil directly on the infected area with the help of a dropper. Now, remove ticks with the help of tweezers.

Note: The natural tea tree oil can cause irritation if applied directly.

20. Mouthwash

Mouthwash can also be a home remedy to pull out ticks and fleas. This sounds interesting. Pour some mouthwash on a tissue paper or a cotton ball and place it on the infected area. You will experience positive results. It is a proven remedy.

21. Turpentine or Gasoline

Alcohol fuels, like gasoline, are also effective against ticks. You have to pour two tablespoons of gasoline in a container. Now, dip a cotton ball in it and place it on tick. Let it rest for 3 minutes. With this, ticks will get suffocated and can be easily removed with the help of tweezers.

22. Cinnamon Oil

Cinnamon oil is very useful in getting rid from ticks. All you are required to do is to apply some cinnamon oil directly on the affected area. Cinnamon oil works as a natural repellent against ticks and fleas.

You can also add 80 drops of cinnamon oil in one ounce of water. Fill the solution in a hose sprayer. Gently spray it in the lawn. This will work against ticks.

Cinnamon oil acts as a protecting shield against ticks on human skin. Just rub cinnamon oil on your skin.
Preventive Measures

Ticks are the type of insects, which remain active in warm weather. It is actually difficult to keep them out of our home as well as from our pets. There are umpteen home remedies to get rid of ticks, but what if we can take preventive measures to stop their contact with pets and household materials? Just go through these preventive measures for ticks:

Spray ticks and flea repellent regularly on pets and on household materials, like mattresses, curtains, etc.
Keep your pets in smooth surface areas.
Clean your home with a vacuum cleaner.
Use hot water to wash blankets, linen, and cushion covers.
Sanitize corner areas in house, properly.
Spray pesticide in home.
Make your pets wear flea collar.
Shampoo your pet regularly.
Remove ticks safely with tweezers.
Avoid pet to approach bushy or wooded areas.
Mow your lawn regularly.
Remove all the litter, including fallen leaves and weeds from the lawn.