‘Now they’re here’: Genetically engineered mosquitoes could help control dangerous spread of disease-carrying Aedes aegypti

Anthony James, who researches disease-spreading insects, never encountered the aggressive mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, when he grew up in Southern California decades ago.

“Now, they’re here,” James, a molecular biologist at the University of California, Irvine, told Mashable.

“Biological control is a great way to go,” emphasized James. Here are the merits of this biological control strategy:

1. Avoids spraying pesticides: When pest control agencies spray pesticides, they’re inevitably killing unintended species. “All these pesticides we’re spraying have serious collateral damage,” Sharon Bewick, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Clemson University, who also has no involvement with Oxitec, told Mashable.

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2. Not harming native species: The Oxitec mosquitoes aim to only kill the invasive species Aedes aegypti. It’s true that native mosquitoes, while annoying pests to us, play a vital role in the natural food web. Birds, for example, devour mosquitoes. But Aedes aegypti aren’t a native species nor a critical player in the natural North American ecosystem. 

3. They’re non-biting males:Only female mosquitoes bite. The modified mosquitoes are males, meaning the trials aren’t releasing more biting insects into places where people live.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.