Genetically modified male mosquitoes may soon be buzzing across areas of California in an experiment to stop the spread of invaders in a warming climate.
The EPA gave the green light for the UK-based company to release a maximum of 2.4 billion genetically modified mosquitoes through the year 2024, expand its existing trial in Florida and start a new pilot project in California's Central Valley.
The modified mosquitoes don't bite. When they pair with a female mosquito, the only viable offspring they produce are non-biting males. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is one of more than 3,500 mosquito species and is a dangerous insect that has spread diseases in other countries.
The company hopes to control the Aedes aegypti in California by releasing its engineered bugs. According to the California department of public health, the species has been found in 21 counties. With low water levels in pipes and ponds and less rain, mosquito populations have flourished, and they love to live near houses and communities.
The diseases aren't yet spreading in California, but the insect that is causing them is a growing risk.
The irector of US programs at the Aedes aegypti said that it does not belong here. Female Aedes aegypti prefer to feed and breed in and around people's homes and are more difficult to eradicate with pesticides.
Male mosquitoes are delivered as eggs and ready to deploy in a device that could help curb the high cost.
The project, which will be carried out in partnership with the Delta Mosquito and Vector Control district in Tulare county, still needs to be reviewed by California's department of pesticide regulation. This particular strain of genetically modified mosquitoes is fresh from a first-year trial in the Florida Keys. The company claims to have encouraging results.
There are some fundamental questions we need to answer before we can say this is a viable tool for mosquito control. He said that the Central Valley is a goldilocks test location due to its arid agricultural landscapes with temperatures that climb past 100.
The EPA concluded that the test was safe to humans and the environment, but stipulated that the mosquitoes cannot be released near any potential tetracycline sources, an antibiotic that acts as an antidote. Within 500 meters of wastewater treatment facilities are included in the regulations. All the modified insects are equipped with a marker gene that scientists can use to tell them apart from wild ones and regular monitoring will be put in place to ensure the experiment is going to plan.
The pilot has encountered some resistance. Critics are calling on California regulators to pull the plug because of concerns about possibly unforeseen consequences and lack of transparency.
Dana Perls, the food and technology program manager with Friends of the Earth, said the science was incomplete before the trial began. She said California and Florida should not be taking risks with experimental biotechnology, and that the lack of publicly released data from the field trials in Florida made it hard to gauge the project's success.
The Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, and the Institute for Responsible Tech collected signatures for the opposition to the project that was issued to the EPA.
Perls said that there is no such thing as 100% effective in science. How do we know that?
Opponents have raised questions about the interaction between the modified mosquitoes and the antibiotic Tetracycline, which can be found in wastewater and works as an antidote, enabling female mosquitoes to develop. There needs to be transparency because they fear that the interplay could lead to hybrid mosquitoes. Perls said that we need unbiased independent review, transparency and public participation.
The data has been reviewed by regulators and company officials have presented findings at conferences. The data will be released to the public after the regulatory process is over.
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