A local effort has emerged to exclude Key Largo from a test release of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes planned for the spring.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District have approved a release of United Kingdom-based biotech company Oxitecâs GMO insects in an effort to battle the disease-carrying wild mosquito population by effectively breeding it out of existence.
Once a site is chosen, Oxitec plans to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes from about 130 boxes that will be placed in a test area for roughly 28 weeks, Oxitec spokeswoman Meredith Fensom recently said.