The project is leaded by activists, settlers and scientists. They hope to free thousands of these insects in Hawaii. Because? It is because the population of birds in the region is in danger. That is why the drones that release mosquitoes will start.
Liberated mosquitoes - all males - are raised in a laboratory and have a bacterium called Wolbachita. It causes that, when they mate, the eggs of the females do not hatch. This significantly reduces the population of other insects of its kind.
Extinguishing
This mosquito control is due to the fact that in recent years, the population of Hawaii native hunger birds was considerably reduced. Before, there were at least 50 species of birds and today the number has dropped to 17.
The mosquitoes arrived in the area in the nineteenth century, and with them also the Malaria Aviar also arrived. It is a disease that is transmitted in mosquitoes and varies from the type of condition that can be transmitted to humans. It caused a strong wave of extinction between the honey birds to the region, keys to pollination and scattered of essential seeds of the place. The species chose to migrate to higher areas to get away from mosquitoes, in the mountains of Maui and Kauai.
However, specialists such as the doctor of the United States Aviar Conservation Hawaii (ABC), Chris Farmer, claim that climate change has done but climate change now pushes the mosquitoes to also look for regions of greater altitude.
«It is a constant march of mosquitoes ascending as temperatures allow it. Birds are pushed up until there is no habitat where they can survive. If we do not break that cycle, we will lose our honey, ”notice scientists.
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Saving drones
That is why the raising of millions of insect began for later release. The first releases were made by helicopter. But the cost and logistics were still too high and complex. Drones that release mosquitoes are the best alternative. They are launched into biodegradable capsules. There is more flexibility to choose the moment in unpredictable climate areas.
With this technology, 500,000 mosquitoes per week were released in Maui and another 500,000 in Kauai. If the program is successful, not only would the extinction of more species of honey birds be stopped. It would also rescue those who are at a much greater risk of disappearing.
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