Those Pesky Mosquitos

Q. “I really would like to get rid of those darned mosquitoes for good! I can’t go outside without getting chewed up by some flying thing! Is there a remedy for this problem that I haven’t tried yet?”

What about those hated, disease-carrying mosquitoes? Nothing can possibly be good about them! Really? Do you feed the birds, enjoy their song, and their antics? Do they bring you joy? Did you know that mosquitoes make up a very large portion of the diet for them and their babies? In fact, mosquitoes are an important food source for many critters we enjoy including fish. Studies show that uninfected mosquito bites may protect against future infections. Did you know the male never draws blood? And yes, the females can winter over if conditions aren’t too harsh. Yes, they’re aggravating. It’s our choice to find things we can use to repel them from biting us, some of it as simple as breaking off a piece of strongly scented herb and rubbing in on our exposed areas.

If we look hard enough and really want to know, we’ll find that ALL life forms have a purpose and to wipe them out would disrupt the biosystem we ALL depend on. Ants, termites, opossums, catfish, carp, and all “bottom-feeders” are essential to the clean-up duties. Without them we’d be miles deep in waste. They eat, digest and make the waste valuable to the ground…and keep us from drowning in our own offing. Rodents aerate the soil, plant seeds, fertilize, and feed those higher up the food chain. Each insect, reptile, mammal has an essential part to play. Plants are just as essential. They clean the air and soil of toxins, provide life-giving oxygen, fertilize the soil, prevent erosion, feed, clothe, shelter other life-forms, and give us beauty to enjoy. All animals, all insects, all plants, all life. There’s a purpose.

Sherrie Ottinger, The Tennessee Dirtgirl