The curious reason why mosquitoes were released in Valencia parks

Valencian Generality will be promoted this summer release of more than a million tiger mosquitoes in parks throughout the community. This may seem crazy. In the summer there are enough mosquitoes for the rulers to release even more. But in fact this is done precisely in order to avoid bites and the transmission of diseases among Valencians, since this sterile mosquitoes.

This is not a new technique. It began to be used in the 1960s in the USA. Since then, many countries have tried to use it as an alternative to traditional insecticides, for which more and more resistant mosquitoes.

It’s quite simple, as it just consists of breed sterile mosquitoes, which are then released into the environment to mate with wild females. They will lay eggs, but they will not be viable, so the reproductive cycle stops. It was already used in the summer in the capital of Valencia, and thanks to this it was possible to reduce mosquito population. For this reason, many more city councils are joining the initiative this year.

Benefits of releasing sterile mosquitoes

To implement this technique, you need to follow three simple steps. Firstly, male mosquitoes are bred en masse, in this case tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). After this, they are sterilized by X-ray irradiation. Finally, they are released into gardens and parks so they can find wild females and mate with them.

It was first used in the USA over 60 years ago. At that time there was an infestation of worms, also known as cattle, has been responsible for the loss of millions of dollars in the livestock industry. These are fly larvae that infect cattle by getting into their open wounds.

Seeing that traditional methods did not end the plague, something very innovative was attempted: the use of sterile males. The method turned out to be so effective that by 1966 the pest was completely eradicated.

It was later discovered that sterile mosquitoes could also be very useful for two reasons. First of all, from what we have already seen. When mating with females the reproductive cycle is interrupted. And, secondly, because precisely males are harmless for people. Releasing millions of mosquitoes to add to the existing ones may seem annoying, but the males don’t bite.

As a rule, these insects survive well by feeding on the sap and nectar of flowers. However, females need a supply of protein to be able to lay eggs. That’s why they turn to blood people and other animals.

Success in the Valencian Community

The tiger mosquito is native to Southeast Asia, but cases have been detected in Spain since 2004. Mostly here it only causes irritating bites. However, it is known that it can also transmit diseases such as dengue or zika. As climate change and globalization fuel cases in this geographic region in recent years, mosquito control has become vital.

In Asian countries such as BangladeshThe use of sterile mosquitoes has been helping to control dengue fever for many years. For this reason it was decided to use it in Valencia. Since the project has been successful, more sterile male mosquitoes will be released in other parts of the Autonomous Community this summer, from June to December.

Genetically modified sterile mosquitoes

Typically, sterile mosquitoes are obtained by irradiation. However, a similar method was also tested by modifying its DNA. The goal is the same. They are released into the environment and when mating with females the reproductive cycle is interrupted.

The advantage of this method is that it is much more accurate and that other modifications beyond sterility can be made. For example, in 2013, a US biotechnology company Oxitecmosquitoes appeared Aedes aegypti genetically modified for transmission deadly gene for women. Thus, although they were able to reproduce, the females were unable to thrive. This, on the one hand, allows the reproductive cycle to stop, but also eliminates the females from the equation, which are the ones who bite and transmit diseases.

These methods, as is always the case with gene modification, are further questioned due to concerns that they may have negative consequences for the environment. For this reason, it is currently still in the research stage, and the method of sterile mosquitoes through irradiation is being widely used. We just have to wait for these males to find the females and release them. Troy horse what they carry inside.