Somebody please tell me how mosquitoes are worthwhile.  They say bacteria has its charms.  Ditto with ants and worms and a hundred other gross things.  But HOW are mosquitoes good for the environment or ecosystems or the food chain or whatever?  I need to know this so I can be at peace with nature again.

Cat~ I looked at wiki~ apparently they are reincarnated souls who were very bad in another life. On the bright side one went up the Emperor Titus's nose entered his brain and buzzed and ate till Titus went insane and died.(unverified account).

Bats like 'em ?!!

Bats Schmats, Sage!  Good one about Titus, though.  The same thing almost happened to me a few days ago in the mountains.

Cat, your error is in thinking that we're the guys on top.  The Mosquito God designed this planet specifically for his winged faithful to be fruitful and multiply.  Everything else is for *THEIR* benefit.

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My dad used to say that everything in nature had a purpose, and mosquitoes' purpose is to remind man that "you ain't so hot, bubbe." 

Ah, there's a flaw in your reasoning, random.  If  the mosquitoes are really the inheritors of the earth, then why are they carrying around so many loafer good-for-nothings like malaria and west nile?  The mosquitoes clearly aren't smart enough to kick those losers to the curb.

Yeah, mosquitoes are so stupid they want to kill the host their feeding off of. 

Cat, you're asking me to explain the Garden of Sucking and the Original Suck of the mosquitoes.  "Bearing viral loads shalt thou suck all the days of your lives; in pain shalt thou bring forth thy larvae..."

Well, you got me there, random.  In fear of revealing my ignorance of that bible verse (though it sounds strangely familiar) I'll just give you the argument.  So they have no other use than the fact that they were ordained by God.  Typical.  ; )

CB, that's an excellent question.

I asked Richard Takahashi, entomologist at the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, your question. Read the answer in my latest post.