The first release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the United States began this week in the Florida Keys the culmination of a decade-long effort by local mosquito control authorities to see if a genetically modified organism is a viable alternative to spraying insecticides in the region. For the first 12-week phase, blue-and-white boxes containing about 12,000 GMO eggs developed by a US-owned, British-based company called Oxitec have been placed in six small areas of Ramrod Key, Cudjoe Key and Vaca Key. When water is added, the mosquitoes hatch, mature and enter the environment over the next week or so. A small, vocal group of Florida Key residents have fought the release of what they call mutant mosquitoes since the project was announced and they are incensed.
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USA TODAY
On Thursday morning, workers from a British company placed basketball-size cardboard boxes into six yards in the Florida Keys.
Then they added water.
In a week or so, 12,000 male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will – one by one – begin buzzing out of each box, the first genetically modified mosquitoes to be released in the United States.
Local officials argue the trial is necessary at a time when pesticides are increasingly ineffective against these dangerous pests. A 2016 vote on the project indicated a solid majority of support in most of the surrounding counties. At the end of the day, our hope is to be able to control this mosquito more efficiently and keep our population below any sort of disease transmission threshold, said Andrea Leal, executive director of the Florida Keys Mosquito District. Our toolbox for Aedes aegypti control is shrinking, unfortunately, and that s making us think outside of the box.
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