Can we fight mosquitoes by releasing more of them?

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Editor's note: Mosquitoes spread many germs that can cause diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Malaria alone may have killed up to 300 million people in the previous century, accounting for up to 5% of all deaths. Even in 2020, over 600,000 people, mostly young children, are thought to have died of malaria. No wonder the mosquito has been called “the worst animal ever”. But you already know that. There are multiple avenues of research focusing on preventing mosquito-borne diseases and their ill effects. These include treatments and vaccines. Last year, the World Health Organization recommended a landmark malaria vaccine for at-risk children in sub-Saharan African countries. There are also efforts to try to limit exposure to mosquitoes. And there's also the relatively recent radical approach of trying to reduce, or even eliminate, mosquito populations altogether to control diseases. That's interesting, you might say. Here’s where it really gets interesting. Not all mosquitoes are detrimental to human health. Most of the 3,500 species of mosquitoes that have been discovered are actually harmless to people. The ones that we worry about …