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full screen The yellow fever mosquito can carry various viruses such as chikungunya and zika. Archive image. Photo: Felipe Dana/AP/TT
Sterile male mosquitoes bred in labs will cure the problem of aggressive female mosquitoes in Los Angeles, writes NBC News.
The yellow fever mosquito species began moving into Southern California around 2014. It specifically targets humans and can carry viruses such as chikungunya, zika and dengue and yellow fever.
The local health authority this week launched a pilot project to eradicate the mosquitoes, releasing 20,000 sterile male mosquitoes irradiated in a lab. The hope is that they will mate with the females – and result in useless eggs.
Next month, the authority can release up to 60,000 mosquitoes a week.
The male mosquitoes do not bite and therefore the measure will not affect the residents.
The mosquito species is not native to the United States, but has existed in some regions of the country for hundreds of years. In recent years, scientists have warned that higher temperatures resulting from climate change will widen the species’ range – which appears to have happened in southern California.