Why can't we just kill all mosquitoes?

The mosquito was never going to win any popularity contests, but as the "deadliest animal in the world" spreads the Zika virus, it's become the target of tough talk and powerful pesticides. "The mosquito kills more people than any other animal on earth," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, this week. "Is there any redeeming feature? ... Well, they do provide food for birds and other insects, but I think the world would be a lot better off without them."
Indeed, mosquitoes can spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and Zika virus. Even the ones that aren't carrying diseases are buzzing in ears and threatening everyone's outdoor fun. Really, why don't we just kill all of them? That solution, it turns out, is the stuff of science fiction. Aside from the potential impacts on the ecosystem when a species disappears, "it is absolutely impossible to kill all the mosquitoes; it's just not going to happen," said Roger S. Nasci, executive director of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District, a public mosquito control program outside Chicago. It's been tried before In the not-so-distant past, there were notions of mosquito eradication, but history quickly taught us otherwise.
Nasci points to the Herculean job that Latin America undertook in the 1950s and 1960s to eradicate Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits yellow fever -- and also dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The Pan American Health Organization rolled out all the most effective measures -- spraying insecticide such as DDT and discarding standing water containers -- on a massive scale. But after efforts let up, the mosquitoes came buzzing right back, possibly hitching a ride on shipping vessels from Asia and Africa.
The United States would probably be hard-pressed to achieve the same success if it borrowed Latin America's strategy to wipe out mosquito populations. For starters, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT, still the best pesticide to kill mosquitoes, in 1972 because of its devastating environmental effects and possible risks to human health. CNN

Why cant we just kill all mosquitoes?

The mosquito was never going to win any popularity contests, but as the deadliest animal in the world spreads the Zika virus, its become the target of tough talk and powerful pesticides. The mosquito kills more people than any other animal on earth, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNNs Dr. Sanjay Gupta, this week. Is there any redeeming feature? ... Well, they do provide food for birds and other insects, but I think the world would be a lot better off without them. Indeed, mosquitoes can spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and Zika virus. Even the ones that arent carrying diseases are buzzing in ears and threatening everyones outdoor fun. Really, why dont we just kill all of them? That solution, it turns out, is the stuff of science fiction. Aside from the potential impacts on the ecosystem when a species disappears, it is absolutely impossible to kill all the mosquitoes; its just not going to happen, said Roger S. Nasci, executive director of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District, a public mosquito control program outside Chicago. Its been tried before In the not-so-distant past, there were notions of mosquito eradication, but history quickly taught us otherwise. Nasci points to the Herculean job that Latin America undertook in the 1950s and 1960s to eradicate Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits yellow fever -- and also dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The Pan American Health Organization rolled out all the most effective measures -- spraying insecticide such as DDT and discarding standing water containers -- on a massive scale. But after efforts let up, the mosquitoes came buzzing right back, possibly hitching a ride on shipping vessels from Asia and Africa. The United States would probably be hard-pressed to achieve the same success if it borrowed Latin Americas strategy to wipe out mosquito populations. For starters, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT, still the best pesticide to kill mosquitoes, in 1972 because of its devastating environmental effects and possible risks to human health. CNN