Let us explain: for quite some time, Florida has been battling the Aedes aegypti, a type of mosquito that carries diseases like yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya, dengue and more. In its latest effort to combat the insect, the state has decided to release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes throughout the Florida Keys. Expect the insects to start flying around in 2021 and 2022.
Given that only female mosquitoes feed on blood, the modified species (named OX5034) has been mutated to produce females that die in the larval stage—before they're able to grow, bite and actually spread diseases. In case you were wondering, male mosquitoes only actually eat nectar and are therefore not disease carriers.
Oxitec, a UK-based but US-owned biotechnology company, is developing the genetically modified insects. According to Oxitec, OX5034 have already been approved by the federal government to be released into Harris County, Texas, starting 2021 as well.
Of course, the project has been looked over and green-lighted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, but we do expect some pushback from wildlife and environmental proponents.
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