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Why are thousands of mosquitoes being released in Washington DC?
Why are thousands of mosquitoes being released in Washington DC? To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Why are thousands of mosquitoes being released in Washington DC? Close About 600,000 mosquitoes are being released across the Washington DC area this summer to help reduce local mosquito populations. Only male mosquitoes â infected with the naturally occurring bacteria Wolbachia â are released. They don't bite humans, and the bacteria they carry prevents any eggs produced after mating from hatching. Bee Safe Mosquito Control is the first business in the US to offer this form of pest control directly to residents. Historically, only local government mosquito control districts, public health agencies, or research partnerships have done so. But the method is now gaining popularity, with Alphabet, Google's parent company, seeking approval to release up to 64 million Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in California and Florida. The effort comes as climate change creates more favourable conditions for mosquitoes to survive and reproduce, increasing concerns about the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Video by Mabel Pickering Subsection US & Canada Published 2 hours ago Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing Related topics Mosquitoes Follow Mosquitoes close panel You are now following Mosquitoes Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage . Pest control Follow Pest control close panel You are now following Pest control Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage . United States Follow United States close panel You are now following United States Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage . Washington DC Follow Washington DC close panel You are now following Washington DC Updates from your News topics will appear in My News and in a collection on the News homepage . Read description
