How deadly are mosquitoes? Is everyone at risk? Today, we’ll take a look at what makes mosquitoes the deadliest creature on earth and some crazy stats to back up their claim to fame. According to the CDC, the mosquito kills more people than any other creature on earth by spreading diseases like West Nile, malaria, dengue, Zika, lymphatic filariasis, yellow fever and chikungunya. Some diseases we’re very familiar with here in the Virgin Islands and throughout the Caribbean.
When we think of “deadly” creatures, we may think of snakes, sharks, bears and those of like, but with over 3,000 species of mosquitoes, they take the cake at being the deadliest creature killing around 750,000 to 1 million people a year. A mosquito operates differently than many other animals and the effectiveness in their killing comes from transmitting diseases to other animals/humans.
As seen in one of our earlier blogs about how mosquitoes thrive, mosquitoes love stagnant water and lay their eggs in areas prone to dampness, but now, mosquitoes have even begun to lay their eggs indoors and in various areas outdoors. Mosquitoes have even evolved their feeding habits and have developed resistance to some traditional pesticides, basically taking whatever humans throw at them and becoming more skilled and lethal.
As of right now, about 40% of the world is exposed to mosquitoes, but everyone is at risk and almost everyone has been bitten by a mosquito. It’s something that’s a part of everyday life and travel and could potentially worsen with climate change (stay tuned for our next blog post about how climate change could increase the mosquito population).
So, what are we doing to combat mosquitoes and their terrific ability to adapt? Mosquitoes have been around for hundreds of millions of years, dating back further than the Jurassic period… they have proven they’re tough to get rid of. To date, the primary solution has always been spraying insecticides/pesticides for mosquito control, but they have their consequences on the environment and human/animal health. And now, mosquitoes that have developed a resistance to control methods such as DEET, can pass along their chemical resistance to their offspring.
In short, certain areas of the world have tried releasing genetically modified or sterile mosquitoes, various chemical control methods and have begun the development of vaccines for the numerous diseases mosquitoes transmit. Researchers across the board would agree, we need to collect copious amounts of data to better understand mosquitoes and their adaptations, their developed resistance(s), how they could evolve and more to control the situation in a sustainable way.
Mosquito Magnet is one of the leading eco-friendly mosquito removal solutions in your area for long-term mosquito removal. No harsh chemicals and results you can feel good about from your home to your health!
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