Officials unleash surprising new weapon in fight against deadly mosquitoes in US: 'There's now evidence that it can be incorporated'
Officials in Southern California have come up with a plan to control an invasive mosquito species and the diseases they spread, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Scientists at local vector districts – agencies responsible for controlling disease-carrying species – applied a technique that's been used on invasive insects since the 1950s. In 2023, one vector district released thousands of sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes across select neighborhoods to study the effects, according to the LA Times. The results were clear. Populations of the species diminished by 33% in one year.
The Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is believed to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa. These bugs can only fly about 150 to 200 yards, but manage to travel internationally on freight ships and other methods of trade. They're considered invasive to other regions because they transmit diseases like yellow fever, dengue, and the Zika virus.
Aedes aegypti are distributed primarily across tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. But the black-and-white striped mosquitoes have now invaded the southern United States and, because of the planet's overheating, are moving to the north and west. Right now, the mosquitoes are present in more than a third of all counties in California.
The idea behind the mission is simple. Male mosquitoes don't bite, and therefore can't spread disease to humans. Females are the primary culprits there. When the sterile males are released, the mosquitoes can still mate, but the females lay unfertilized eggs that don't hatch, decreasing the population size.
Vector district officials found that releasing sterile male mosquitoes into the environment was incredibly effective. Last year, a local vector control agency for part of Los Angeles County began releasing 1,000 sterile males bi-weekly, bumping the numbers to 3,000 during peak season from August to November.
"Many medium to smaller districts are now interested to use our approach," Solomon Birhanie, scientific director for West Valley Vector Control, told the LA Times. "Because there's now evidence that it can be incorporated into abatement programs without the need for hiring highly skilled personnel or demanding a larger amount of budget."
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