What If Mosquitoes Went Extinct? A Look at the Global Impact

Mosquitoes are commonly regarded as nature’s most unwelcome visitors. These minuscule critters have officially caused more human deaths in history than any other animal by passing on deadly diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus. Mosquito-borne diseases account for over 700,000 deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization, while malaria accounts for approximately 400,000 deaths. 

Scientists and researchers have long argued about whether their destruction would help humanity or upend global ecosystems in unforeseen ways. While we take a look at this fun imagination, do not forget to reach out to Orem exterminators to fight mosquito infestation. 

In this blog post, we will look at what might happen if mosquitoes suddenly went extinct worldwide.

How Many Mosquitoes Are There In The World Right Now?

The sheer scale of the global mosquito population is staggering. There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world, although only about 200 species bite humans, researchers estimate. The total number of individual mosquitoes that exist on Earth at a time is estimated to be hundreds of trillions, with up to possibly 110 trillion mosquitoes in the world.

These insects are found in a variety of habitats on every continent except Antarctica. They vary widely by region in population density, with the most numbers in tropical and subtropical zones. During their peak breeding seasons, a single acre of land in warm and humid parts of the world can house millions of mosquitoes, studies show. The female mosquitoes are capable of laying 300 eggs at a time, and populations can double in 8-10 days if suitable conditions are provided. It is this reproductive efficiency that is why efforts to control mosquitoes must be continuous rather than a one-off approach.

What If Mosquitoes Disappeared From the Planet?

Let us look at the world without mosquitoes below. 

• Impact on Disease Transmission

Interestingly, the universal effect of mosquito extinction would be on human health, where the most immediate and conspicuous effect would be a reduction in mosquito-borne diseases. Malaria affects about 241 million people each year, and dengue infects an estimated 390 million people per year globally. Wiping out the mosquitoes that spread these diseases could prevent more than 700,000 deaths a year and keep hundreds of millions more from getting sick.

• Economic Impact

The economic fallout would be significant as well. Public spending to treat and control malaria worldwide alone is more than $12 billion a year. Countries most afflicted by mosquito-borne diseases experience up to 1.3% GDP slowed economic growth each year as a result of lower workforce productivity and healthcare expenditure.

• Ecological Consequences

Do you know that Mosquitoes are the food for many animals? Many creatures eat mosquitoes, including dragonflies, bats, birds, frogs, and fish. Mosquitoes comprise as much as half of the diet for certain bat species at various times of the year.

Adult mosquitoes are also pollinators for many plants. Not as efficient as bees, they still visit flowers and help transfer pollen, especially in Arctic regions, where other pollinators are scarce.

• Adaptive Ecological Shifts

Many scientists argue that nature would adjust to fill the niche vacated by mosquitoes. Other scientists have suggested that other insects would simply step up to fill the ecological roles left behind by mosquitoes, maintaining general balance in an ecosystem.

However, the transition period may prove to be disruptive. In contrast, mosquito-eating predators may experience short-term population declines before adapting to new prey. This period of adaptation would take 5–10 years in most ecosystems.

And there are worries about potential cascade effects. Eliminating mosquitoes might enable competing species to thrive, which could lead to new ecological challenges or even introduce other disease carriers. Removal of one mosquito species often leads to other mosquito species that could carry other pathogens to thrive.