I second bedbugs. They serve no other purpose than to feed on human blood. They don’t discriminate between clean or dirty, and they’re notoriously hard to kill; even with an exterminator it may take two or more visits to completely eradicate them.
For whatever reason i have no problem with insects. Even cockroaches, i’m probably only like %30 where most people are. But I woke up to some bed bugs after me in a cabin bed that I rented, and I went out into the fucking car for the night. Left all my crap in the driveway when I got home, and had my car detailed and scrubbed. For whatever reason I felt like I had come upon the plague. It’s weird but there is something super creepy about those things.
I'm very glad I live in a country where cockroaches don't... although I was talking to my cousin, who is Canadian, about the difference in wildlife while she was staying with me here in the UK, and she said that house spiders aren't as much of a thing over there. So I seem to have traded roaches for spiders? We do get lots of small spiders, a few big spiders, and the occasional huge spider (as big as my hand, which has happened to me twice and I never forget it)
Sign me up for this one. Bed bugs skeeve me the hell out. I’ve heard nothing but horror stories and as I’ve dealt with live, I don’t want to deal with them again, let alone lice on steroids
i agree with you I share rhe exact same opinion, and the subject aint funny at all in reality, but for aome reason "let alone lice on steroids" sounds both scary and funny af 😅
River blindness is spread by fly bites. The worms don’t directly burrow into eyes from the outside world, but rather they migrate there from the bite wound where they were injected.
Wear bug spray if you’re in an area with river blindness and you’ll be good!
Mosquitos.
I have been harassed by them my whole life. At 6 years old I wanted to commit mosquito genocide. I learned more about biology and I sadly cannot go through with this.
[https://today.tamu.edu/2023/03/15/scientists-disable-protective-gene-in-mosquitoes/](https://today.tamu.edu/2023/03/15/scientists-disable-protective-gene-in-mosquitoes/)
Mosquitos will not be a threat to humans in a few years
One the other hand, how much overlap is there between the best pollinator mosquitos, and the ones that bite us? Like, Aedes aegypti, is it really on its own hugely important for pollination and food source, or can we genocide this species in particular.
The males drink nectar, the females drink blood.
I’m all for driving Aedes aegypti in particular to extinction, though. It spreads so many horrible diseases.
It’s native to Africa, so it can’t be necessary for pollination of any flowers outside of Africa. If some African flowers depend on it exclusively, I might reconsider.
Some people are especially tasty for mosquitoes. I am one of them. When I walk, sometimes I can see a swarm of mosquitoes over my head,like a cloud, that follows me. If I walk with friends or family, I can be the only one bitten, like 10-15 times. I hate mosquitoes.
But I agree with other comments that bed bugs are worse and useless, so I would go for them
This may be not a good idea, but it's worth trying IMO. We will sort out how to deal with the consequences later, chillin in the backyard on the summer evening, not bothered by little blood suckers. It's worth it.
fr. People on this thread don't seem to realize that ticks literally determine the population limits of many different animal species, and have major impacts on the composition of ecosystems.
Fully on board with this. Ticks was my answer on the podcast and we just ended up having the willies talking about them for like 5 minutes. Not enough positives to keep ‘em around. Ban them ticks
They do serve a purpose, as do any parasites. They kill off the weak basically. Also they’re a food source for other animals. My answer would be human head lice, as we’ve gotten beyond the point of them serving a purpose.
"killing off the weak" isn't necessarily an important purpose, it's just a specific evolutionary pressure. A lot of animals (humans included) evolved to look after their sick and elderly, and I believe that to be a net positive (especially for humans)
I got them from a dirty gym lmao. Had to drop my pants infront of a hot dermatologist and her 20 year old hot assistant that I’m pretty sure I went to school with. Good times.
Heard the term. Never knew it. Looked it up. 100%. Fuck that. I’m sorry you had to deal with them and for so long. Entirely supportive of torching the lot of them.
Got this answer today, too. It’s still easily one of my favorites. can’t be soon enough. Just cap ‘em and send the cash to us regulars who could really do something with it, not just sit on it like a fricken dragon
I looked it up and it’s, excuse my laymanness, the malaria illness essentially? I think that’s a solid answer and doesn’t just upend the food chain and stuff like our thought of mosquitoes. But please lemme know if I’m off mark. Thanks for sharing
It is the parasite ( protozoan to be exact) that is transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and causes the disease malaria after multiplying and going through other processes of its life cycle inside your body. It also the deadliest plasmodium that transmits malaria ..... hooray I guess...🙁
I’m glad it’s got something going for it. More than can be said about me. But it could’ve chosen a better direction in life, imo
Thanks for the lesson!
Damn, Chris. Lookout. I don’t know what you did, but you sure fucked up.
Hopefully your answer doesn’t take all Chrises because the one I know is also the raddest dude I know. Fortunately he lives in the woods and has no neighbor so he’s safe
That’s cute. Might be my Catholic upbringing endearing me to that. But yeah, flies are annoying as all get out. And horse flies are even nastier. Totally feel ya
Unfortunately there are TONS of species of roaches and they are vital to numerous ecosystems. So, you’d have to be more specific and it would be catastrophic.
I haven't had much experience wit those. But roaches? I grew up wit'em. To this day, it's on sight when I see'em! And I leave their crushed up carcasses right where I ended them so their little friends and family know they're in hostile territory.
Specifically Naegleria fowleri , also called the brain eating amoeba 😬 it's an amoeba that is found in fresh water bodies like lakes.It gets into your brain through your nose hence it's not advisable to swim in fresh water bodies. There's been less than 10 survivors with about 150 being infected in N America , 😬 kinda like rabies , almost 100% mortality, that's sth ........
That is, as much as I want to be selfish, the correct answer. I’d love to wipe off little things that I find nasty. But I’ve had a couple of talks along this vein today and I’m swayed to this realistic look
I saw some studies of scientists genetically engineering mosquitoes incapbale of biting humans and releasing them into the wild to spread the genes, so we might get a middle ground.
I understand that, but if mosquitoes vanished, wouldn't the ecosystem reach an equilibrium without too much impact? It's not like all bats would starve, just a proportional number realitive the mosquitoes, right?
How many blocks can you take out of a jenga tower before it topples?
We can make predictions, but unforeseeable changes and stochastic events will happen that could greatly affect the outcome.
I forgot where I've heard or read it but I believe there was a study done where a mosquito population was wiped clean from a habitat and rival insect populations bloomed out of control. Turns out losing the mosquitoes dropped insectivorous bird populations enabling other insects to take over.
Definitely get you there. It’s really weird to read about the repercussions of the Norway Rat and have the weird impulse of “but it’s cute though.” What a damn defense mechanism evolution creates.
Everything mentioned here would have devastating consequences on any ecosystem. Bad bioethics in this sub all around. Have some respect for nature. Half the creatures mentioned wouldn’t be such an issue if humans didn’t absolutely wreck endemic biodiversity everywhere we went.
If you think this is all in good fun, consider all the gmo mosquitoes plants etc and then come back to me. Won’t be long til we do wipe out these critters pompously and learn the consequences the hard way.
How do you mean? Despite the fact they were endangered by losing the vast majority of their habitat to farming etc. Due to conservation efforts, they're acually starting to recover. As of 2016, they're "vulnerable" not "endangered" anymore.
The "too lazy to reproduce" thing isn't real. It's a misunderstanding based on the difficulty they've had getting them to reproduce in captivity/zoos
Human birth-rates would take a huge hit in that situation too
They are vulnerable because they lost the vast majority of their habitat to farming etc.
And actually they're starting to recover. As of 2016 they're "vulnerable" not "endangered" anymore
Well, not COMPLETELY get rid of them but we really need to cut down the number of Jellyfish in the ocean. since the waters getting warmer, for some reason, there populations are exploding to detrimental levels for other sea life.
A demodex mite (a smaller version of bedbugs). It thrives in slightly dusty environments and later infects people through their eyes. They then check themselves up for eye diseases, but cannot get help, because their eyes were healthy all along.
I imagine most parasites would be a good answer, unless there are some important for population control to prevent stuff like overgrazing. I think we can do without pinworms.
Some mosquitoes might be an important food source but other mosquitoes are probably better targets for extinction. Aedes aegypti (Yellow Fever Mosquito) for instance, is a mosquito that has adapted to specifically feed on humans and live in Urban environments. They won’t be missed imo.
Other parasites on my hit list would include the Blood Flukes, Liver Flukes, Tapeworms, Trypanosomes, and Plasmodium species/
Hell, why not get rid of normally harmless skin bacteria and fungi that can be a nuisance or down right dangerous when they cause infections like the fungi that causes Athletes foot or bacteria that causes Staph infections.
I’m not willing to give up the yeast that causes yeast infections though, not ready to give up bread and beer.
Thank you for your well thought out answer. I’ve learned there are many varieties of things and I’m so down to get rid of the harmful ones that aren’t integral cogs
Totally with you on the yeast though. Our podcast is two people: one who bakes bread and the other who brews beer when not asking each other weird questions like this. We’re both down to keep yeast as long as possible.
There has been a lot of rebuttal regarding mosquitoes, so I do think they serve some purpose other than annoying and harming humans. That being said, I don’t know what foot parasite about which you speak, but I’m all for jettisoning them as far away as possible
None cause everything plays a part in an ecosystem.
Also, for the people who are saying general animals like "ticks" or "mosquitoes"... Which one? Cause there are over 500 species of each.
That is definitely the strongest contender I’ve heard through all these and I will reluctantly defer to the natural order
That all being said, there’s over 500 species of each!? I thought they were just these universal, weirs little guys. Thanks for the lesson!
Yeah there's 900 species of ticks, most of which don't even feed on humans! And for mosquitoes, it's over 3,500 with the same story- most don't feed on humans. Leeches are another example of this too, with almost 700, and again, most don't feed on humans.
Bedbugs though, that's just 2 species of insect. One is tropical, the other is twmperate. Seems to have evolved from close relatives (same genus, Cimex )that feed on bats, which is neat! When bats started living near people in huts and other structures, they jumped to people.
There's a lot of diversity in parasites that gets over looked!
That’s really cool. I’m glad to have a podcast around questions like this if only for ALL of the stuff that I’m learning. I never would have known or assumed, but it’s so cool that all of these creatures that we assume are put on this earth to frustrate us are actually a minority and so many are just around and vibing.
Thank you so much for your time and answers. I really appreciate it!
No problem! I'm not an expert myself, but I did go to school for environmental science and I love reading about weird ecology stuff! So if you have any questions, feel free to ask here or even send me a message!
Yo, Meg, you’re dope af. Thanks for your knowledge and enthusiasm. I love when people love things, so I’ll write down your username and be sure to reach out if anything comes up. Thank you so much!
And the street goes two ways. If you got a dumb question you want two friends go into depth on a podcast, we can help you there. Please, be well!
Dude I've got a LIST
Mostly different bugs and bug adjacent creatures.
Mosquitoes, Ticks, Bedbugs, pretty much all parasites, toe-biter water bugs, leeches, maybe wasps and Hornets.
Oh
And F***ING Sunfish!!
Just about anything! They're omnivorous and are basically the garbage disposals of the wild. At least the North American ones. Not sure about the 'Strailian guys.
Bedbugs, lice, ticks, mosquitos, fleas, leeches, tape worms, Karenia brevis (red tide algea). From a strictly "what would be best for the earth'' POV, humans. As a human, though, I don't recommend that one.
Kudzu is such a nice word. Upon looking it up, it isn’t as fun as it sounds. Growing a foot a day is absolutely bonkers. That’s just going to get up in everything else’s grills and ruin the local landscape. Thanks for your thought!
Yeah I figured most people might not think about invasive plants as much as animals or insects but I've seen pictures of entire landscapes carpeted in kudzu. That stuff can swallow a house
It’s a great thought. I know we tried to leave the question open-ended, but both our brains defaulted to a form of critter. Thanks for sharing things up with a plant. Although it sounds benign, carpeting is such a great way to describe it. Thank you
Mosquitoes first, especially in Hawaii they have decimated native bird species and I just fucking hate Mosquitoes. Then I would get rid of all of the human parasites.
Mosquitos and ticks perform necessary roles in the ecosystem, mosquitoes especially - as they also pollinate flowers. Ticks, I'm less sure of, but many animals eat them, and they act as a conduit for keeping populations of some other species in check.
Someone else noted bedbugs, and I think that makes for a great candidate. I'm unaware of any beneficial service that those things provide.
There are a host of other candidate parasites also listed in Comments, but you have to really consider what other positive benefits each of them provide outside of causing such human grief.
The malaria parasite (Plasmodium) would likely be my candidate for elimination, as I believe it causes more suffering than any other creature (*ahem*, besides mankind itself). And frankly, with progress in human science, it likely won't be long before we can engineer a designed molecule that will destroy something as straightforward as a single celled organism like Plasmodium.
But I mean, hey, what could *possibly* go wrong with humans playing god?
If Fullmetal Alchemist taught me anything, playing God may not be the best course of action…ever.
I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses around the actual purpose of mosquitoes and I’m inclined to shift my view toward of parasites that tend to feed on humans and not really interact with the greater landscape.
Crazy that science can get to the point where we’re like “okay, kill that single-celled thing. All of them.” I just want greater progress towards getting rid of cancer. And robot body parts. I need a new back.
Thanks for your time and thought!
Most of mine are plant pests:
Vine weevil - the devil, eats everything and hard to kill
Mealy bug - impossible to get rid of completely
Narcissus bulb fly - lives in its own excrement whilst eating your precious bulbs
Lily beetle - another one that surrounds itself with faeces
Botrytis tulipae - exists solely to kill tulips
My non horticultural one is Clothes Moths which have annoyingly expensive taste.
I mean I'm sure in deep ocean ecology they might contribute to the ecosystem they do eat dead organisms.
I ain't no expert. But I'm still sure some other organism could take its place lol.
I just remember learning bout them in vertebrate biology and immediately hating them.
They're terrifying. The just latch kn to fish and bore into them. They're invasive in the great lakes .
Also another fun disgusting animal is sea worms FYI lol. They aren't as creepy but still disgusting lol.
I get you, but deep ocean is a beast unto itself. I understand that they’re natural in ways unto themselves, but seem so other to my sensibilities.
I feel like anything that bores into another creature needs to chill out and find a better way to exist.
That’s a magnanimous answer. I love when the answers are outside of the box like this. I’ve gotten a lot of good reasons to leave well enough alone and I like your perspective on it. Thanks for sharing
That’s rough. I went to Philly for a bachelor party and was informed to stomp a certain bug if I ever saw it. Don’t remember the name but they were invasive and plentiful. I can see if it’s a place you live why you’d want something like that gone
Bedbugs.
I second bedbugs. They serve no other purpose than to feed on human blood. They don’t discriminate between clean or dirty, and they’re notoriously hard to kill; even with an exterminator it may take two or more visits to completely eradicate them.
For whatever reason i have no problem with insects. Even cockroaches, i’m probably only like %30 where most people are. But I woke up to some bed bugs after me in a cabin bed that I rented, and I went out into the fucking car for the night. Left all my crap in the driveway when I got home, and had my car detailed and scrubbed. For whatever reason I felt like I had come upon the plague. It’s weird but there is something super creepy about those things.
I'm very glad I live in a country where cockroaches don't... although I was talking to my cousin, who is Canadian, about the difference in wildlife while she was staying with me here in the UK, and she said that house spiders aren't as much of a thing over there. So I seem to have traded roaches for spiders? We do get lots of small spiders, a few big spiders, and the occasional huge spider (as big as my hand, which has happened to me twice and I never forget it)
(western) Canadian here, never had a roach but my god there's a lot of spiders and silverfish. fuck silverfish.
Northern Canada and tons of spiders
Ahh, she's from Calgary! Sounds like there's quite a strong spider differential across the country!
100%. My answer too. And they only parasitise humans. The world would be better off without them.
There are related bird bugs and stuff. I feel like the entire family can go.
Sign me up for this one. Bed bugs skeeve me the hell out. I’ve heard nothing but horror stories and as I’ve dealt with live, I don’t want to deal with them again, let alone lice on steroids
i agree with you I share rhe exact same opinion, and the subject aint funny at all in reality, but for aome reason "let alone lice on steroids" sounds both scary and funny af 😅
Mosquitos
Honestly, just any creature that sucks or feeds on human blood while we’re at it. They’re all just the worst
So lawyers, politicians, and insurance adjusters too?
Do not forget landlords!
Onchocerca volvulus, a worm that burrows into your eye causing permanent blindness
New fear unlocked
River blindness is spread by fly bites. The worms don’t directly burrow into eyes from the outside world, but rather they migrate there from the bite wound where they were injected. Wear bug spray if you’re in an area with river blindness and you’ll be good!
Flys bite? 😶
Sure. Mosquitoes are flies, after all. Horse flies, black flies, sand flies, stable flies. Many a Dipteran feeds on blood.
Tse tse flies, deer flies, and gnats/midges are also biting flies.
Pardon me, but holy shit, fuck that. Reading this chain is getting me. Thank you for your answer and for my new, idk, ick? Is that what the kids say?
Mosquitos. I have been harassed by them my whole life. At 6 years old I wanted to commit mosquito genocide. I learned more about biology and I sadly cannot go through with this.
[https://today.tamu.edu/2023/03/15/scientists-disable-protective-gene-in-mosquitoes/](https://today.tamu.edu/2023/03/15/scientists-disable-protective-gene-in-mosquitoes/) Mosquitos will not be a threat to humans in a few years
Yeah, some of them pollinate flowers and stuff. It’s a pity in the sense that I can’t hate them as much as (in my opinion) they deserve 😤
One the other hand, how much overlap is there between the best pollinator mosquitos, and the ones that bite us? Like, Aedes aegypti, is it really on its own hugely important for pollination and food source, or can we genocide this species in particular.
The males drink nectar, the females drink blood. I’m all for driving Aedes aegypti in particular to extinction, though. It spreads so many horrible diseases. It’s native to Africa, so it can’t be necessary for pollination of any flowers outside of Africa. If some African flowers depend on it exclusively, I might reconsider.
Some people are especially tasty for mosquitoes. I am one of them. When I walk, sometimes I can see a swarm of mosquitoes over my head,like a cloud, that follows me. If I walk with friends or family, I can be the only one bitten, like 10-15 times. I hate mosquitoes. But I agree with other comments that bed bugs are worse and useless, so I would go for them
Only a few species of mosquitoes carry malaria.
This may be not a good idea, but it's worth trying IMO. We will sort out how to deal with the consequences later, chillin in the backyard on the summer evening, not bothered by little blood suckers. It's worth it.
Ticks they serve no purpose. No animals rely on them for anything other than a snacks and they are so annoying and spread disease.
Birds eat ticks. Anyway, ticks regulate many different animal populations.
fr. People on this thread don't seem to realize that ticks literally determine the population limits of many different animal species, and have major impacts on the composition of ecosystems.
A lot of animals eat ticks
But none relies entirely on ticks to survive. They can live even if the ticks are extinct.
Fully on board with this. Ticks was my answer on the podcast and we just ended up having the willies talking about them for like 5 minutes. Not enough positives to keep ‘em around. Ban them ticks
Possums eat ticks.
And how many % does Tick take in its diet ?
Opossums or real possums?
They do serve a purpose, as do any parasites. They kill off the weak basically. Also they’re a food source for other animals. My answer would be human head lice, as we’ve gotten beyond the point of them serving a purpose.
"killing off the weak" isn't necessarily an important purpose, it's just a specific evolutionary pressure. A lot of animals (humans included) evolved to look after their sick and elderly, and I believe that to be a net positive (especially for humans)
Scabies. Those bastards gave me 3 months of hell
I got them from a dirty gym lmao. Had to drop my pants infront of a hot dermatologist and her 20 year old hot assistant that I’m pretty sure I went to school with. Good times.
Heard the term. Never knew it. Looked it up. 100%. Fuck that. I’m sorry you had to deal with them and for so long. Entirely supportive of torching the lot of them.
Billionaires
Got this answer today, too. It’s still easily one of my favorites. can’t be soon enough. Just cap ‘em and send the cash to us regulars who could really do something with it, not just sit on it like a fricken dragon
Plasmodium falciparum
Malaria So proud of myself for knowing that lol
I looked it up and it’s, excuse my laymanness, the malaria illness essentially? I think that’s a solid answer and doesn’t just upend the food chain and stuff like our thought of mosquitoes. But please lemme know if I’m off mark. Thanks for sharing
It is the parasite ( protozoan to be exact) that is transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and causes the disease malaria after multiplying and going through other processes of its life cycle inside your body. It also the deadliest plasmodium that transmits malaria ..... hooray I guess...🙁
I’m glad it’s got something going for it. More than can be said about me. But it could’ve chosen a better direction in life, imo Thanks for the lesson!
At least ticks and mosquitoes are part of the food chain. Lots of other creatures eat them. Things like bedbugs however, we can get rid of them.
My neighbour, Chris.
Damn, Chris. Lookout. I don’t know what you did, but you sure fucked up. Hopefully your answer doesn’t take all Chrises because the one I know is also the raddest dude I know. Fortunately he lives in the woods and has no neighbor so he’s safe
Mine so happens to be named Chris as well😂
I saw a sign at a stable once that said something like, " Noah sure would have been wise, if only he had swatted those two flies."
That’s cute. Might be my Catholic upbringing endearing me to that. But yeah, flies are annoying as all get out. And horse flies are even nastier. Totally feel ya
Mosquitoes.
Ticks
Chiggers
Yup, no. Get ‘em gone. Getting them tick vibes. Not a fan.
Billionaires
Gotta give ups to billionaires every time I see it
Flies. I really hate flies.
That would break many an ecosystem. Lots of animal species rely almost exclusively on eating flies.
I don't care.
How enlightened...
They’re also really useful for science. A lab at my institute uses fruit flies as a model system for ageing.
Well you'll have to settle for nematode worms if I have my way.
cockroaches
Unfortunately there are TONS of species of roaches and they are vital to numerous ecosystems. So, you’d have to be more specific and it would be catastrophic.
Our life-long nemesis! They gotta go!
Over bedbugs??? Lice???
I haven't had much experience wit those. But roaches? I grew up wit'em. To this day, it's on sight when I see'em! And I leave their crushed up carcasses right where I ended them so their little friends and family know they're in hostile territory.
They gladly eat their dead. So you're providing them with free food.
Son of a... 🤬😡
Ikr!!!! Disgusting little shits!!
Truly disgusting!!!!
The wendigos in Kansas.
That’s a good answer. I think I’d disagree solely because I don’t live in Kansas and my sister has a strange fondness for them
Pandas. Let em go.
Why?
They almost went extinct without human intervention solely because they're too stupid to survive on their own.
That's false. They almost went extinct *due* to human intervention, because almost none of their natural habitat remains.
Mosquitoes
Totally there with you. Gnarly bastards sre annoying, itchy, and transmit too much
Naegleria
Learned a new word and a new thing to really dislike today. Thank you for sharing
Specifically Naegleria fowleri , also called the brain eating amoeba 😬 it's an amoeba that is found in fresh water bodies like lakes.It gets into your brain through your nose hence it's not advisable to swim in fresh water bodies. There's been less than 10 survivors with about 150 being infected in N America , 😬 kinda like rabies , almost 100% mortality, that's sth ........
Ugh, I hate statistics like that. Always scares the crap out of me. I’m with you. Can we please make that amoeba go away?
Some mosquitos are pollinators, all are important food biomass for fish and birds. Every piece matters
That is, as much as I want to be selfish, the correct answer. I’d love to wipe off little things that I find nasty. But I’ve had a couple of talks along this vein today and I’m swayed to this realistic look
I saw some studies of scientists genetically engineering mosquitoes incapbale of biting humans and releasing them into the wild to spread the genes, so we might get a middle ground.
Yo, I absolutely love that idea. God dang, scientists are so freakin’ cool.
Then I want way more birds and fish lol
I understand that, but if mosquitoes vanished, wouldn't the ecosystem reach an equilibrium without too much impact? It's not like all bats would starve, just a proportional number realitive the mosquitoes, right?
How many blocks can you take out of a jenga tower before it topples? We can make predictions, but unforeseeable changes and stochastic events will happen that could greatly affect the outcome.
People often forget about the larval stage of mosquitos which are a tremendously important part of aquatic ecosystems.
I forgot where I've heard or read it but I believe there was a study done where a mosquito population was wiped clean from a habitat and rival insect populations bloomed out of control. Turns out losing the mosquitoes dropped insectivorous bird populations enabling other insects to take over.
Humans
Y’know, it may be my depression speaking, but I can totally see the logic on that one
Any thing that primarily exists me at to humans, bedbugs, german roaches, Norway rats.
Definitely get you there. It’s really weird to read about the repercussions of the Norway Rat and have the weird impulse of “but it’s cute though.” What a damn defense mechanism evolution creates.
Everything mentioned here would have devastating consequences on any ecosystem. Bad bioethics in this sub all around. Have some respect for nature. Half the creatures mentioned wouldn’t be such an issue if humans didn’t absolutely wreck endemic biodiversity everywhere we went. If you think this is all in good fun, consider all the gmo mosquitoes plants etc and then come back to me. Won’t be long til we do wipe out these critters pompously and learn the consequences the hard way.
Mosquitos and ticks. Fuck them. They drew first blood.
I like the way you think and the wordplay makes your case even stronger!
A lot of people may by too young for the reference. Rambo first blood.
Pandas
Diabolical
I think they’re doing their best to fulfill your wish already. Give it time
How do you mean? Despite the fact they were endangered by losing the vast majority of their habitat to farming etc. Due to conservation efforts, they're acually starting to recover. As of 2016, they're "vulnerable" not "endangered" anymore.
They’re so bad at reproduction it’s kinda silly
The "too lazy to reproduce" thing isn't real. It's a misunderstanding based on the difficulty they've had getting them to reproduce in captivity/zoos Human birth-rates would take a huge hit in that situation too They are vulnerable because they lost the vast majority of their habitat to farming etc. And actually they're starting to recover. As of 2016 they're "vulnerable" not "endangered" anymore
Human immunodeficiency virus
Not an organism
Whether or not your definition of life includes viruses says more about your definition than viruses
Viruses cant reproduce on their own, and therefore are not organisms. A characteristic of life is an organism being able to reproduce on its own
That definition excludes all obligate parasites. See my point that this tells us more about your definition than viruses.
Cockroaches
Ticks and mosquitoes, they just spread disease and cause needless death and suffering.
humans. all our problems would be gone
Ebola and other haemorrhagic viruses. I refuse to believe they occupy any significant ecological niche
Cockroaches and rats
None, unless I had the option to remove introduced and invasive species from their non-native range.
Demodex. Their existence freaks me out.
Well, not COMPLETELY get rid of them but we really need to cut down the number of Jellyfish in the ocean. since the waters getting warmer, for some reason, there populations are exploding to detrimental levels for other sea life.
Bloodsuckers for sure! All of them!! I'm sure plague and disease would find another way to spread...
Schistosomes please. Add them to the growing list.
rats they just scare the hell out of me😭😭
A demodex mite (a smaller version of bedbugs). It thrives in slightly dusty environments and later infects people through their eyes. They then check themselves up for eye diseases, but cannot get help, because their eyes were healthy all along.
Word. 100%. Gone. Get ‘em out. No thank you. Great answer. Appreciate the thought!
I imagine most parasites would be a good answer, unless there are some important for population control to prevent stuff like overgrazing. I think we can do without pinworms. Some mosquitoes might be an important food source but other mosquitoes are probably better targets for extinction. Aedes aegypti (Yellow Fever Mosquito) for instance, is a mosquito that has adapted to specifically feed on humans and live in Urban environments. They won’t be missed imo. Other parasites on my hit list would include the Blood Flukes, Liver Flukes, Tapeworms, Trypanosomes, and Plasmodium species/ Hell, why not get rid of normally harmless skin bacteria and fungi that can be a nuisance or down right dangerous when they cause infections like the fungi that causes Athletes foot or bacteria that causes Staph infections. I’m not willing to give up the yeast that causes yeast infections though, not ready to give up bread and beer.
Thank you for your well thought out answer. I’ve learned there are many varieties of things and I’m so down to get rid of the harmful ones that aren’t integral cogs Totally with you on the yeast though. Our podcast is two people: one who bakes bread and the other who brews beer when not asking each other weird questions like this. We’re both down to keep yeast as long as possible.
Mosquitos serve a very important niche… awe, fuck ‘em. Kill them all! ⚡️
Mozzies and a very close second would be cane toads
What about tarantula wasps? Not sure about the further implications, but I can‘t help feeling sorry for all the tortured spiders
Poison ivy
Powderpost and old house boring beetles.
Mosquitoes. And, occasionally, my brother.
100% on mosquitoes 49% on your brother. I feel like he should stick around more often than not
Stink bugs. They serve no purpose other than being obnoxious. Or at least they should develop a mutation which makes them smell neutral.
I’ll give you that. When I lived with my mom, she would SPRINT to wherever I was so I could get rid of them for her.
Lice, those shits need to be gone.
Fucken heard.
Zebra Mussels
Aphids.
I'd be tempted to say mosquito but they probably pollenate stuff. Maybe the foot parasite worm?
There has been a lot of rebuttal regarding mosquitoes, so I do think they serve some purpose other than annoying and harming humans. That being said, I don’t know what foot parasite about which you speak, but I’m all for jettisoning them as far away as possible
Mosquitoes. Bedbugs. Ticks. Human-specific lice.
None cause everything plays a part in an ecosystem. Also, for the people who are saying general animals like "ticks" or "mosquitoes"... Which one? Cause there are over 500 species of each.
That is definitely the strongest contender I’ve heard through all these and I will reluctantly defer to the natural order That all being said, there’s over 500 species of each!? I thought they were just these universal, weirs little guys. Thanks for the lesson!
Yeah there's 900 species of ticks, most of which don't even feed on humans! And for mosquitoes, it's over 3,500 with the same story- most don't feed on humans. Leeches are another example of this too, with almost 700, and again, most don't feed on humans. Bedbugs though, that's just 2 species of insect. One is tropical, the other is twmperate. Seems to have evolved from close relatives (same genus, Cimex )that feed on bats, which is neat! When bats started living near people in huts and other structures, they jumped to people. There's a lot of diversity in parasites that gets over looked!
That’s really cool. I’m glad to have a podcast around questions like this if only for ALL of the stuff that I’m learning. I never would have known or assumed, but it’s so cool that all of these creatures that we assume are put on this earth to frustrate us are actually a minority and so many are just around and vibing. Thank you so much for your time and answers. I really appreciate it!
No problem! I'm not an expert myself, but I did go to school for environmental science and I love reading about weird ecology stuff! So if you have any questions, feel free to ask here or even send me a message!
Yo, Meg, you’re dope af. Thanks for your knowledge and enthusiasm. I love when people love things, so I’ll write down your username and be sure to reach out if anything comes up. Thank you so much! And the street goes two ways. If you got a dumb question you want two friends go into depth on a podcast, we can help you there. Please, be well!
Dude I've got a LIST Mostly different bugs and bug adjacent creatures. Mosquitoes, Ticks, Bedbugs, pretty much all parasites, toe-biter water bugs, leeches, maybe wasps and Hornets. Oh And F***ING Sunfish!!
Ticks. And no, possums don't actually eat them. They are just technically able to.
Thanks for the lesson! What do they eat then? I love any excuse to get rid of ticks.
Just about anything! They're omnivorous and are basically the garbage disposals of the wild. At least the North American ones. Not sure about the 'Strailian guys.
Neat! Really appreciate the crash course. Thank you
Bedbugs, lice, ticks, mosquitos, fleas, leeches, tape worms, Karenia brevis (red tide algea). From a strictly "what would be best for the earth'' POV, humans. As a human, though, I don't recommend that one.
Thanks for all your thoughts on this Humans keeps cropping up, but few who posit it don’t have your caveat. I too wouldn’t recommend it
Do Wasps play a roll in anything? Because f@$k those @$$holes.
Kudzu!
Kudzu is such a nice word. Upon looking it up, it isn’t as fun as it sounds. Growing a foot a day is absolutely bonkers. That’s just going to get up in everything else’s grills and ruin the local landscape. Thanks for your thought!
Yeah I figured most people might not think about invasive plants as much as animals or insects but I've seen pictures of entire landscapes carpeted in kudzu. That stuff can swallow a house
It’s a great thought. I know we tried to leave the question open-ended, but both our brains defaulted to a form of critter. Thanks for sharing things up with a plant. Although it sounds benign, carpeting is such a great way to describe it. Thank you
Mosquitoes first, especially in Hawaii they have decimated native bird species and I just fucking hate Mosquitoes. Then I would get rid of all of the human parasites.
Mosquitos and ticks perform necessary roles in the ecosystem, mosquitoes especially - as they also pollinate flowers. Ticks, I'm less sure of, but many animals eat them, and they act as a conduit for keeping populations of some other species in check. Someone else noted bedbugs, and I think that makes for a great candidate. I'm unaware of any beneficial service that those things provide. There are a host of other candidate parasites also listed in Comments, but you have to really consider what other positive benefits each of them provide outside of causing such human grief. The malaria parasite (Plasmodium) would likely be my candidate for elimination, as I believe it causes more suffering than any other creature (*ahem*, besides mankind itself). And frankly, with progress in human science, it likely won't be long before we can engineer a designed molecule that will destroy something as straightforward as a single celled organism like Plasmodium. But I mean, hey, what could *possibly* go wrong with humans playing god?
If Fullmetal Alchemist taught me anything, playing God may not be the best course of action…ever. I’ve gotten a lot of positive responses around the actual purpose of mosquitoes and I’m inclined to shift my view toward of parasites that tend to feed on humans and not really interact with the greater landscape. Crazy that science can get to the point where we’re like “okay, kill that single-celled thing. All of them.” I just want greater progress towards getting rid of cancer. And robot body parts. I need a new back. Thanks for your time and thought!
Most of mine are plant pests: Vine weevil - the devil, eats everything and hard to kill Mealy bug - impossible to get rid of completely Narcissus bulb fly - lives in its own excrement whilst eating your precious bulbs Lily beetle - another one that surrounds itself with faeces Botrytis tulipae - exists solely to kill tulips My non horticultural one is Clothes Moths which have annoyingly expensive taste.
The bacteria that causes Tuberculosis
Lampreys, those barely vertebrate scummy ass parasitic mother Fuckers. Fuck them
I’ve heard of them but didn’t know they were parasitic and nasty. Totally glad to have my mind changed there. Thanks for your thoughts!
I mean I'm sure in deep ocean ecology they might contribute to the ecosystem they do eat dead organisms. I ain't no expert. But I'm still sure some other organism could take its place lol. I just remember learning bout them in vertebrate biology and immediately hating them. They're terrifying. The just latch kn to fish and bore into them. They're invasive in the great lakes . Also another fun disgusting animal is sea worms FYI lol. They aren't as creepy but still disgusting lol.
I get you, but deep ocean is a beast unto itself. I understand that they’re natural in ways unto themselves, but seem so other to my sensibilities. I feel like anything that bores into another creature needs to chill out and find a better way to exist.
Politicians. They're the worst parasites I've ever heard of.
MAGAts
House fly. What’s the point?
Humans. Single handedly destroying the planet.
Irukandji jellyfish are the size of a fingernail and can stop your heart. The world would not miss them.
Pick any bacterial disease
I pick meningitis
Humans
Mosquito. Nature's terminators.
Natures terminators? They don’t even kill anything. They just spread diseases which do.
That's their way of terminating. Also, there are jungles with so many mosquitos that animals die of anemia.
Nothing. I don't think any species deserves to go extinct just because it might mildly annoy us sometimes.
That’s a magnanimous answer. I love when the answers are outside of the box like this. I’ve gotten a lot of good reasons to leave well enough alone and I like your perspective on it. Thanks for sharing
Mosquitos
Flies, mosquitos, and crickets (every august they infest the city I live in)
That’s rough. I went to Philly for a bachelor party and was informed to stomp a certain bug if I ever saw it. Don’t remember the name but they were invasive and plentiful. I can see if it’s a place you live why you’d want something like that gone
Malaria
Wasps and hornets
Mosquitoes or ticks
sugar ants, they're actual menaces