Mosquitoes Are Deadly So Why Not Kill Them All

I found myself once again facing defeat, seeking refuge behind the protection of my glass patio door. Summer evenings generally started out pleasantly on my porch, glistened with a beautiful sunset, followed by declining temperatures which provided respite from the heat. Disaster would invariably strike, however, with the inevitable onslaught of mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were unimpressed by my insistence on remaining environmentally conscious and disavowing products containing DEET. Pinpricks of swelling bumps peppered the lengths of my arms and legs, leaving me itchy, irritated, and defeated. Nevertheless, I was undaunted, and armed with science, I steeled myself for devastating counterattacks.

Mosquito nets are being sought out for as many families are dying of malaria in Africa. Rick Reilly exclaims in his article “Nothing But Nets” that the need for mosquito nets is dire. Reilly begins with statistics and facts of the situation, employs emotional appeal, and uses big sports stars and businesses to show how important and easy it is to donate towards mosquito nets. Throughout most of the article, Reilly uses the appeal of logic through facts and statistics to build his argument.

Malaria has been in existence for thousands of years. Many historical records show that it has affected human civilization greatly by plaguing and causing mass death. The earliest record can be traced back to 2700 BC in China (Cox, 2002). It has been long associated with swamps and insects for hundreds of years but often believed to be the air from swamps causing the plague. The term malaria rooted from two Italian words ‘mala’ and ‘aria’ which literally means bad air. Humanity did not know the true nature of the long thought disease until 1894 when a Scottish physician, Sir Ronald Ross, discovered that it was actually the parasite in mosquito that is causing the malaria.

The one thing that could keep me inside on a nice summer’s day is the threat of mosquitoes. Where they bite me, I swell up and itch for days afterwards. It’s a hard choice between slathering myself in nasty smelling insect repellant or staying inside. Sometimes even with the insect repellant I still get bit. To add insult to injury, they sometimes get in the house and attack me. They seem to be an annoyance I can’t escape. I’m lucky that the mosquitoes that bite me don’t carry dangerous diseases like the ones in other counties. Daniel Engber who wrote the article “Let’s Kill All the Mosquitoes” has the solution to our problem. He makes a great argument to kill the dangerous mosquitoes and it’s very well supported with credible sources.

In the article” When mosquitoes were killers in America” by Lauren Tarshis, there is evidence that discussed how mosquitoes were far more than a nuisance. The article talked about the symptoms of having malaria. Tarshis said,”Those who become sick get high fevers, bone - rattling chills, and painful muscle aches.” It must have been very painful for people in the olden days who had malaria. The current generation is very lucky because there are medicines that reduce pain. Malaria is a deadly disease caused by mosquitoes sucking blood and transferring the blood to another human's body. Tarshis talked about how many people die in a year due to mosquitoes. The article says” In this way, bite by itchy bite, 212 million people are infected with malaria

No one would have ever thought that a little bitty bug, with a painless bite could cause so much harm. This deadly virus was going around for awhile until it suddenly disappeared for about 20 years, causing everyone to make false assumptions that it was gone forever. Mosquitoes, the pesky bugs, will sooner, rather then later, become a threat once again.

Mosquitos is a problem faced by the world it appears many times in the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor,” “(Bloor)When Paul's mother Caroline complains to the HOA that the muck fire in the yard is going out of hand and should be dealt with asap. The HOA decides to try different ways to get rid of it each attempt worse than the last from putting it out with a fire extinguisher to flooding the fire with water. When the hoa decides to flood the Fisher’s backyard muck fire they didn’t take in account that they not only failed to resolve the conflict of the fire but added another job to their list. The HOA unintentionally invited the dreaded mosquitos to Lake Windsor Downs when they flooded the fire. The mosquitoes are blood thirsty creatures they will bite anyone and anything to get their food, blood.

This disease can kill someone and mosquitoes are the ones that carry it. Lots and lots of people were getting it, but George said that if we don’t think about it that maybe, just maybe, nobody in our family will get it. We know that there is always a chance, but we can always hope for the best.

Man can capture an elephant, train a lion, and totally obliterate a species from this earth. If man can do all that surely he will have dominion over something as small and meek as a mosquito. The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 proved this notion to be false as this disease, transmitted solely by the bite of a female mosquito, wiped out one tenth of Philadelphia’s population in four months. Some make the mistake of seeing this as an isolated event but this epidemic was as far-reaching as the disease itself since it forever changed America’s Government, public health system and African American community.

On Wednesday August 24 protestors showed their dismay at the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District plans to release genetically modified mosquitoes into Key Haven, Florida, a small town in Key West, to try to control the quickly spreading Zika virus. The article “In Florida Keys, Some Worry About ‘Science and Government’ More Than Zika” written by Lizzette Alvarez talks about how the people of Key West, Florida feel about becoming a “science experiment”.

Also known as the Zika virus, is now spreading into 2 species in many parts of Brazil. Researchers in Brazil have stated that out of 500 mosquitos, 450 mosquitos are contained with this insane virus we all call, “Zika Virus.” This disease is really shocking to the world since the Summer Olympic Games are happening and many countries, especially from the United States because most athletes are scared that they might bring home the virus and spread it in their nations or it's just painful to have it when you're in a country that is nowhere home.The reason why I picked this current events is that this virus has been going around for quite a while now and it's still amazing how a small mosquito can end up killing a person in many ways. It's also shocking when you hear an athlete who has a chance to win a gold medal for their country, but they are denying it because of their health issues and the future consequences that could happen. Remember that the Olympic is only every 4 years, so it has been a long time for them to train and not being able to go is a shame, but also its for their own health conditions, not what citizens want to see, a guy with a virus coming home. This “Zika Virus” has no end to it yet because there is no cure yet to be found and there has not been a human trail yet done to fix this

The new mosquitos contain a gene that produces high levels of a protein that stops their cells from functioning normally, ultimately killing them.” And “While similar releases in Florida are years away, some locals have already reacted forcefully. One activist gathered 100,000 signatures on a petition to oppose using the mosquitoes in eradication efforts.” But their concerns are ““What if these mosquitoes bite my boys or my dogs? What will they do to the ecosystem?”

Department of Health. (2009, April). Information Sheet: Malathion and Mosquito Control. Retrieved July 11, 2011, from New York State department of health: http://www.health.state.ny.us/publications/2740/

DNREC needs our help to control the mosquito problem we have. “One of the greatest resources that the Mosquito Control Section has to combat mosquitoes is YOU,” just one container of holding water on your property can produce thousands of mosquitoes that can severely reduce the quality of life for you and your neighborhood. Remember, in addition to the discomfort of biting, mosquitoes also are proven vectors of disease. The Mosquito Control Section looks forward to partnering with you to protect the safety and quality of life for residents and visitors to

Mosquitoes are the host to many diseases the pose a threat to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Endemic birds are the most affected by the transmission of avian diseases through mosquitoes. Controlling the mosquito popular is key in bringing back the native bird population.