• UraniumBlazer@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    4 months ago

    Serious question: Has any culture tried breeding these guys to keep mosquitoes at bay? Something like how people kept cats around to reduce the population of mice?

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      4 months ago

      Interesting question! I’d guess, however you do it, you could only achieve a temporary uptick in the population. Like any other predator/prey relationship, the ecosystem can only support X predators. After all, the ancient Egyptians could only have so many cats around until they ran out of mice.

      Be a pain to breed. They stay underwater as nymphs for 2 years, and that’s 2 years where you gotta keep them from being someone else’s lunch.