This Mosquito Control Decision Challenge will help your students understand how pesticides, food webs, non-target organisms, bioaccumulation, human impact, and environmental trade-offs can affect a wetland ecosystem. This activity gives teachers an easy, NO PREP way to have students analyze ecology data, compare possible mosquito control options, and make an evidence-based decision about whether the town should spray pesticides near a wetland.

Students investigate a real-world style environmental management problem in the town of Marsh Hollow, where mosquito populations have increased near a large wetland. Students analyze multiple Information/Data Sets related to mosquito population growth, wetland food webs, pesticide field test results, bioaccumulation, and community concerns. They then use the evidence to decide whether the town should spray pesticides, avoid spraying and use other methods, or use a limited and carefully monitored mosquito control plan.

Students answer the question:

Should the town spray pesticides near the wetland to control mosquitoes?

Students choose between three possible recommendations using information in the activity:

Option A: Spray pesticides near the wetland as planned.

Option B: Do not spray pesticides near the wetland; use other mosquito control methods instead.

Option C: Use a limited, carefully monitored mosquito control plan instead of broad spraying.

Click here to download my Mosquito Control Ecology Decision Challenge Activity for FREE

You can find this challenge as well as all my other Ecology Challenges in my Real-World Ecology Decision Challenges Bundle. Click here to see the included topics and learn more.

How It Works

• Students use the provided background reading and evidence sets to:
• Analyze mosquito population growth over time
• Explore how mosquitoes fit into a wetland food web
• Identify how pesticides can affect target and non-target organisms
• Analyze pesticide field test results
• Understand how chemicals can move through a food web
• Explore bioaccumulation and pesticide residue data
• Consider community concerns such as mosquito bites, disease risk, wetland protection, cost, and public health
• Compare multiple mosquito control options
• Use evidence to support a science-based decision

This activity moves students from background reading → data analysis → evidence comparison → final decision writing.

Topics Students Explore

• Mosquito control
• Pesticides
• Wetland ecosystems
• Food webs
• Human impact on ecosystems
• Target and non-target organisms
• Bioaccumulation
• Pesticide residue in food webs
• Population growth
• Biodiversity
• Environmental trade-offs
• Public health and ecosystem protection
• Evidence-based decision-making
• Real-world ecology problem solving

What’s Included

✅ Complete Mosquito Control Decision Challenge activity

✅ Student background reading

✅ Multiple Information/Data Sets

✅ Evidence analysis questions

✅ Final decision writing task

✅ Early finisher extension activities

✅ Complete answer key

✅ Grading rubric

✅ DIGITAL and PRINT ready versions

✅ Fully editable file

Perfect for:

• Ecosystems units
• Human impact on ecosystems lessons
• Food web activities
• Pesticide and pollution lessons
• Bioaccumulation lessons
• Environmental science lessons
• Wetland ecosystem studies
• Data analysis practice
• Evidence-based writing
• Small group collaboration
• Sub plans or review days
• NGSS life science lessons

Teacher-Friendly Features

• NO PREP and ready to use
• Builds data analysis and evidence-based reasoning skills
• Encourages students to support claims with evidence
• Connects ecology concepts to a realistic environmental management decision
• Includes built-in assessment with a rubric
• Works well for independent work, partners, small groups, or class discussion
• Includes extension options for early finishers
• Editable so you can adjust the activity for your students

This activity is a great way to help students practice analyzing evidence, comparing possible solutions, and making a science-based decision about a realistic mosquito control and wetland ecosystem problem.