Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Bloodbath...



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.
·         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.
·         Another believed that they were made to keep us alert of our surroundings, to keep us thinking of everyone's purpose on the planet.
·         One said they're only here to spread diseases. Another said they serve as food for fish and amphibians.
·         Most firmly believe that they do not deserve to exist.
·         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:
·         Fungus Fatal to Mosquito May Aid Global War on Malaria: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/science/10mosquito.html?_r=0
·         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!