Silver Spring business releases 600,000 infected mosquitoes in DC area
WTOP • • health
Key Points:
- Bee Safe Mosquito Control, a Silver Spring, Maryland business, is releasing 600,000 Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes this summer to reduce the local mosquito population, specifically targeting the Asian Tiger Mosquito.
- These male mosquitoes, called ZAP males, are infected with Wolbachia bacteria, which causes females they mate with to become infertile, preventing them from producing offspring.
- The program aims to control mosquitoes that can transmit diseases like Dengue Fever, Zika, and Yellow Fever, using a biopesticide method approved by the EPA and proven effective internationally.
- Bee Safe Mosquito Control is the first company in the D.C. area to offer this service, which costs about $1,000 and has already sold out for the season, with releases continuing through September.
- Similar initiatives are underway elsewhere, including Alphabet’s Debug program, which plans to release millions of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in California and Florida.
