Mosquitoes-that menace we live with! Speaking for myself, I
am not too troubled by these voracious bloodsuckers. But I've come to realize
that I am one of the more fortunate that are not attractive to mosquitoes.
People with warm bodies are mosquito magnets even in relatively mosquito free
places. It is heart-breaking to experience such folk struggling to survive
evenings.
In the recent past, I have had a considerable number of
spontaneous evening discussions on this subject. The people involved were
mostly urban folk, some travellers from outside of my country. The talks threw
up some interesting revelations. However, before we go there, I must admit,
such a conversation with rural Indian folk would certainly be an eye opener. Would
they be resigned to sharing space with mosquitoes? Would they explain their
existence and purpose with folklore and mythology?
The fundamental question
has always been "Why do mosquitoes exist? What purpose do they
serve?" Answers, or attempts at the same, were trivial, tragic, but mostly
entertaining.
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One person proposed that mosquitoes were created
to help humans progress. They were meant to make us aware of our potential,
realize that we must develop; rise from being animals to create clean, safe,
comfortable spaces for ourselves.
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Another believed that they were made to keep us
alert of our surroundings, to keep us thinking of everyone's purpose on the
planet.
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One said they're only here to spread diseases.
Another said they serve as food for fish and amphibians.
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Most firmly believe that they do not deserve to
exist.
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One gentle mind suggested that they be
genetically modified to not drink human blood, or better still, to not feed on
blood at all.
What I enjoy about these conversations is that eventually we
get to talk about ecology and population. Mosquitoes, being vectors, do serve
the purpose of carrying a plethora of bacteria and viruses; transferring them
from one host to another, helping them complete their life cycles and propagate
and thrive. Besides, they are food for fishes and lizards and frogs. One simply
cannot ignore the role they play - their ecological niche. Then comes the
population issue. To me, mosquitoes are just one of the many other things
around us that remind us of our responsibility as cohabitants of the planet.
Inordinate mosquito breeding occurs in the vicinity of human population,
especially unorganized areas. When a neighbourhood is kept clean, well spaced-out
and orderly, mosquitoes definitely do not breed with the same intensity as they
do otherwise. This is the case with most animals we choose to label as pests.
With our livestock and grain hoarding habits, how can we destroy natural
habitats and expect animals not to come in search of food and shelter?
Another question that plagued some is: What do bloodsuckers
feed on in forests with very few mammals? So some of us did a little thought
experiment. My proposal was that bloodsuckers, like most non-herbivores, didn’t
need to feed very often, and didn’t live very long as adults anyway. Just as
many moths spend most of their lives as caterpillars feeding on leaves, bloodsuckers
probably spent most of their lives as larvae (feeding on algae and microbes).
How could this be proved? Well, it was fairly simple they said: collect the
bloodsuckers from the forest, create forest-like conditions in a laboratory,
and then observe them there.
So much for
science! All I had to do was google, and then laugh at myself. While I was
right about sanguivores not feeding often and mosquitoes not living very long,
bloodsuckers do feed as adults, and on a lot other than just blood. Male
mosquitoes spend equal amounts of time (about 5 days each) as larvae and
adults, while females live for up to a month. Both of them feed on nectar and
sugary plant liquids for energy. As we all know, only females need the blood
for their eggs (that too, not always). Furthermore, most mosquitoes are not
particular about the kind of blood they drink either (cold reptilian or warm
mammalian). It’s the protein they crave.
Of course, human endeavours to solve the mosquito problem
have been many, and they range from amusing to abusive. Planting herbs, shrubs
and trees in the area, spraying the premises with aromatic decoctions; burning
incense, neem, chillies; ointments, coils, mats, liquids and buzzers to repel
them. Moving on to fumigation of neighbourhoods, light traps, electrocution
devices; even going so far as considering spaying of male mosquitoes! For a
stoic like me, mosquitoes are a necessary evil we live with, and all those
guesses hazarded about why mosquitoes exist are valid. The best we can do is to
keep clean and choose our measures sensibly. It is easy to wreak violence on
the unaware. But peaceful methods work much better in the longer run.
Here are
some interesting links:
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https://richarddawkins.net/2014/11/scientists-have-identified-the-gene-that-makes-mosquitoes-crave-human-blood/
·
Fungus Fatal to Mosquito May Aid Global War on
Malaria: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/science/10mosquito.html?_r=0
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Bloodfeeding! http://research.amnh.org/~siddall/bloodfeed.html
Speaking of bloodsuckers, I cannot help but bring up
leeches. The question of what they feed on in the forest was originally
intended for those surreptitious creepers. Well, most species are not fussy
about their food and often swallow invertebrates (slugs, insects) whole. They
feed on blood from amphibians and reptiles as well. Again, it’s the protein
that counts. Next time I’m in leech country, aside from the delightful
incessantly bleeding bites, I will look out for them preying on invertebrates!