Are mosquitos as bad as we think?

Ring, ring — your alarm is blaring.

You jump out of your tent, and shout good morning to the whole campsite. As you leave your tent, you feel your legs itching. The itch crawls to your ankles and toes.

You inspect your legs, and you feel several bumps. It feels like several volcanos grew out of nowhere on your legs. Then you hear a familiar irritating buzz behind your ears. You turn around to see your worst enemy laughing at you — a mosquito.

People have been victims of mosquitos for many centuries. From itching to what feels like hot lava on your skin, many people suffer from these bites.

If you’ve never been bitten by mosquitos, congratulations, you’re immune! The rest of us are not so lucky.

You probably burned mosquito coils to keep them away, yet somehow they keep coming back. We can agree that these bugs are our worst enemies, but have we considered why they exist in the first place?

What makes them unique in the natural environment, and should we fully eradicate the mosquito population to satisfy our needs?

Female mosquitos consume blood for survival, as it is important in most mosquito reproduction cycles. Male mosquitos contribute to the plant life cycle by pollinating. They feed on plant nectar and transfer pollen to certain native plant species.

Without blood consumption, the mosquito population will lessen since blood provides nutrients necessary for reproducing.

You may say, “what if we eliminated all mosquito species around the world?” 

Well, that would prevent humans from itchy red bumps, but if we eliminated all mosquitos, we would only benefit from it in the short run.

Scientists and environmentalists like mosquitos because they help to support biodiversity. The absence of mosquitos would negatively impact the natural environment. The health of forests would decline and less plants would grow.

Many animals, such as fish and bats, rely on mosquitos for their diet, and in their absence, these species will need alternative food sources.

There is a lot of resentment towards mosquitos. Some people fear mosquitos — and for good reason. Many people have died from the transmission of diseases through mosquitos for many centuries, including dengue fever, malaria, and Zika fever.

Canada had 319 cases of mosquito-born diseases in 2025. Elderly people are more at-risk of severe outcomes — all 18 people who died from the diseases last year were age 60 or older.

Mosquitoes toe the line between dangerous and nuisance. Perhaps they are misunderstood. Maybe they want attention. Or, just maybe, they want to bite you — for their children, of course.