Would it be a blessing or a curse to suddenly be rid of the winged pests that have inhabited the earth for more than one hundred million years? Somewhat incredibly, scientists don’t seem overly concerned about a world without mosquitoes. As one entomologist put it, “If we eradicated them tomorrow, the ecosystems where they are active will hiccup and then get on with life.” If he’s right and we could have a world free from the ravages of mosquito-borne illness, can we justify not taking the risk?
