Dozens of biodegradable pods were previously dropped by drones over Hawaii’s forests. Each drone carried around 1,000 specially bred male mosquitoes. Read on to find out why.
These mosquitoes don’t bite and carry a harmless bacterium that stops eggs from hatching when they mate with wild females. The aim is to reduce the invasive mosquito population that is wiping out native Hawaiian birds, especially the rare honeycreepers, CNN reported.
Hawaii once had over 50 honeycreeper species, but only 17 remain, and most are endangered. While deforestation has harmed the birds, experts say the biggest threat is the spread of avian malaria by mosquitoes, according to Dr Chris Farmer. He is the Hawaii program director for the American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
“We have a rough estimate for how many mosquitoes there are in the wild, and we try to release 10 times as many of these Wolbachia mosquitoes, so that they find these females and are able to mate with them, and then their eggs don’t hatch,” CNN quoted Farmer as saying.
“Right now, we’re releasing 500,000 mosquitoes a week on Maui and 500,000 mosquitoes a week on Kauai,” he added.
Dr Farmer says it may take about a year to know if the mosquito-release method is working. But he hopes it will help protect native birds long enough for their numbers to recover. If successful, it could be used elsewhere. However, he warns that, in countries where mosquitoes are native, removing them could harm the natural balance of the ecosystem.
“We have the ability to save these species. If we don’t save these birds in this decade, then they probably won’t be here for the future. And so the ability to make a difference in the world, make a difference in the future, motivates us all,” Farmer said.
Challenges of releasing mosquitoes in Hawaii
Releasing mosquitoes in Hawaii has been challenging due to the steep terrain and unpredictable weather. Helicopters were used earlier. It made the work costly and risky because there were few available for conservation, tourism and safety duties. Many flights were cancelled due to sudden winds or rain.
This is the first known use of specialized mosquito pods delivered this way. It gives better timing control in places with unstable weather, and it is safer, cheaper and quieter than helicopters.
Drones changed everything. After long testing in tough conditions, the team built temperature-safe pods that could carry the insects. They began drone drops in June.
