Florida Plans to Fix Its Mosquito Problem With 750 Million More Mosquitoes

Tags: Aedes, Dengue, Genetic biocontrol, North America, Oxitec, Population suppression, Self limiting, Sterile insect technique (SIT)
D. Noor, Gizmodo, 2020.

Hundreds of millions of mosquitos will soon be released in Florida. On purpose. The mosquitoes are being released as a form of pest control, but they could wreak havoc on local ecosystems. And honestly, just the thought of it makes my ankles itch.

This week, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District approved a plan to unleash 750 million of these fuckers throughout 2021 and 2022. But these are no ordinary mosquitoes; they’ve been genetically engineered to reduce the numbers of another kind of mosquito.

See, the region has a big problem with Aedes aegypti, a type of mosquito species which carries yellow fever, Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and other deadly diseases. They’re the reason for the current outbreak of dengue fever in the Upper Keys, which has infected nearly 50 people.