What are mosquitoes good for?

“After the third bite of the night, you have to wonder: What are mosquitoes actually good for?”

Mosquitoes do serve an important purpose in nature, even if it's hard to appreciate at a backyard barbecue. They pollinate certain plants, are an important part of nature’s food chain, and recycle nutrients in ponds and wetlands. In fact, there are over 3,500 mosquito species worldwide, and most never bite people at all.

How mosquitoes help the environment

Their ecological job comes down to three main things. First, their role as pollinators. Both male and female mosquitoes feed on flower nectar. As they move flower to flower, they carry pollen with them. A few orchids, including arctic bog orchids, rely on mosquitoes as primary pollinators.

Next on the list is their vital link in the food chain. In water, mosquito larvae provide food for fish, frogs, dragonflies, and turtles. Adults are prey for bats, birds, spiders, and lizards on land. Finally, mosquito larvae filter algae and organic matter out of standing water, returning nutrients to the ecosystem.

However, the "useful" part of the mosquito story plays out in wetlands and forests, not on your patio. Around homes and businesses, the species that bite people can carry West Nile virus, dengue, and heartworm for pets. A few standing water sources in a yard, like a clogged gutter or a saucer under a planter, can produce hundreds of biting females in a week, which is why mosquito control still matters around homes and businesses.