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Google wants to release 32 million mosquitoes in Florida
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Google’s Debug team requested federal approval to release 32 million sterilized male mosquitos in Florida and California.
The project aims to decrease the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitos, which transmits multiple diseases like dengue, zika and yellow fever.
Debug uses the Sterile Insect Technique which consists of releasing sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females.
The sterilized male mosquitoes carry a bacteria called Wolbachia, which prevents the female eggs from hatching.
Wolbachia is a common bacterium that half of insect species carry, and is not harmful to the environment or to humans, according to the World Mosquito Program.
Chris Meindl, an associate professor of geography at USF, said the project has some benefits.
“I think the good news is it’s not like we’re spraying chemicals that kills not just the target species, but that ends up killing lots of other things,” Meindl said.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are an invasive species.
Meindl said he is “suspicious” of the project risks of decreasing the amount of mosquitoes.
“I’m not sure how long they’ve been here, but I think they’ve been here a long time,” Meindl said. “I think our native animals have probably grown to depend on eating them.”
Even with this risk, Google is not the only one working on pest control methods.
Mendil said this initiative is not new and is already happening in several counties in Florida.
“At the end of the day, this technology has been around for a long time and there are ongoing efforts to make use of it even here in Florida, irrespective of Google,” Mindl said.
The Pasco County Mosquito Control District has worked to keep mosquito populations under control for more than 75 years.
They have been preparing to launch a similar trial project, but they might face setbacks next year.
There is a new property tax measure proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis that may lead to the district losing one fifth of its budget.
The measure will be voted at the ballot box in November.
For Google, the project is still pending approval from the Environmental Protection Agency who is reviewing the application.
The post Google wants to release 32 million mosquitoes in Florida appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.
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By Listen:
Google’s Debug team requested federal approval to release 32 million sterilized male mosquitos in Florida and California.
The project aims to decrease the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitos, which transmits multiple diseases like dengue, zika and yellow fever.
Debug uses the Sterile Insect Technique which consists of releasing sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females.
The sterilized male mosquitoes carry a bacteria called Wolbachia, which prevents the female eggs from hatching.
Wolbachia is a common bacterium that half of insect species carry, and is not harmful to the environment or to humans, according to the World Mosquito Program.
Chris Meindl, an associate professor of geography at USF, said the project has some benefits.
“I think the good news is it’s not like we’re spraying chemicals that kills not just the target species, but that ends up killing lots of other things,” Meindl said.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are an invasive species.
Meindl said he is “suspicious” of the project risks of decreasing the amount of mosquitoes.
“I’m not sure how long they’ve been here, but I think they’ve been here a long time,” Meindl said. “I think our native animals have probably grown to depend on eating them.”
Even with this risk, Google is not the only one working on pest control methods.
Mendil said this initiative is not new and is already happening in several counties in Florida.
“At the end of the day, this technology has been around for a long time and there are ongoing efforts to make use of it even here in Florida, irrespective of Google,” Mindl said.
The Pasco County Mosquito Control District has worked to keep mosquito populations under control for more than 75 years.
They have been preparing to launch a similar trial project, but they might face setbacks next year.
There is a new property tax measure proposed by Governor Ron DeSantis that may lead to the district losing one fifth of its budget.
The measure will be voted at the ballot box in November.
For Google, the project is still pending approval from the Environmental Protection Agency who is reviewing the application.
The post Google wants to release 32 million mosquitoes in Florida appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.