The main focus for many newer efforts to control mosquitos, especially the efforts focusing on genetically modified vectors, is on temporary local extinction. For many mosquito borne human diseases (malaria, dengue chikungunya....) we, humans, are the only known hosts. Killing all of the mosquitos in an area, allowing all sick/infected people to be treated/recover, then allowing mosquitos to repopulate the area would, in theory, end disease transmission. I don't know if we fully understand the ecologic impacts of something like this but, listening to the experts you hear everything from mosquitos don't matter to dragonflies will go extinct. Hard to parse out the truth.
I've been wondering about good new topics for LW, and prediction might be one of them.
The effect of the Zika virus-- and human reactions to it-- on birth rates has the combination of being hard enough to be interesting, not being heavily plowed over by partisans, and having a quantitative outcome.
There's a lot of evidence that Zika causes microcephaly, but this isn't confirmed. There's also some reason to think it increases the rate of miscarriages.
Human reactions cover a wide range, including trying to wipe out the mosquitoes, increasing access to birth control, abortions, asking people to put off having children, creating a less-mosquito-friendly environment....
My assumption is that zika will cease to be a serious problem in not too many years, as more women get the disease and acquire immunity before their child-bearing years, but admittedly, this is assuming that zika (or some other disease with a similar infection pattern) is the problem.
Any other good prediction questions?