The Briefing Room
General Category => Science, Technology and Knowledge => Topic started by: rangerrebew on November 15, 2017, 12:44:37 pm
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EPA OKs first living pest-control mosquito for use in United States
Asian tiger mosquitoes made bad dad by Wolbachia bacteria can suppress local populations
by Susan Milius
6:58pm, November 8, 2017
In a big step toward catching up with the rest of the world, the United States cleared the way for using mosquitoes as a commercial pest control for the first time.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved using a strain of male Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) as a biopesticide in the District of Columbia and 20 states, including California and New York. Kentucky-based MosquitoMate was granted the right to sell these mosquitoes, called ZAP Males, for the next five years, the agency announced November 7.
https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-ticker/epa-oks-first-living-pest-control-mosquito-use-united-states?mode=topic&context=60
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Down here, I do know there has been work for nearly to introduce certain species of phorid flies to try to control Fire Ant populations.
Not exactly the same, but not unprecedented.