By Strange Sounds -Aug 21, 2020
More than 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes will be released into the Florida Keys in 2021 and 2022.
The plan received final approval from local authorities, against the objection of many local residents and a coalition of environmental advocacy groups.
Approved by the Environment Protection Agency in May, the pilot project is designed to test if a genetically modified mosquito is a viable alternative to spraying insecticides to control the Aedes aegypti. It’s a species of mosquito that carries several deadly diseases, such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
The mosquito, named OX5034, has been altered to produce female offspring that die in the larval stage, well before hatching and growing large enough to bite and spread disease. Only the female mosquito bites for blood, which she needs to mature her eggs. Males feed only on nectar, and are thus not a carrier for disease.
The mosquito is also approved to be released into Harris County, Texas, beginning in 2021, according to Oxitec, the U.S.-owned, British-based company that developed the genetically modified organism (GMO).
More:
https://strangesounds.org/2020/08/750-million-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-approved-for-release-in-florida-keys.html
