Two billion genetically modified mosquitoes are about to be released in the United States — but don’t worry: They’re all blank-shooting males that won’t bite.
The release, in Florida and California, follows one of 750 million last year in Florida by British company Oxitec. The mosquitoes are a new species, known as OX5034, and are all males. If the plan works, they should produce female larvae that die off before they reach adulthood. If the plan doesn’t work, residents of the Sunshine and Golden states will be scratching.
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“Given the growing health threat this mosquito poses across the U.S., we’re working to make this technology available and accessible,” Oxitec CEO Grey Frandsen said in a statement. “These pilot programs, wherein we can demonstrate the technology’s effectiveness in different climate settings, will play an important role in doing so.”
Last year’s release in Florida was deemed a success by the Environmental Protection Agency, which approved Oxitec for unleashing more mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. The EPA has also approved an Oxitec deal with Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District in central California’s Tulare County.
Only female mosquitoes bite humans. By giving them male partners that can’t produce viable offspring, the scheme should help lower the mosquito population over time.
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Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance — they are responsible for more than 1 million human deaths per year because they carry diseases including malaria, Zika, yellow fever, dengue, lymphatic filariasis, and West Nile virus.
