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California state legislators oppose plan to release genetically modified MOSQUITOES to "control" wild mosquito population

News of this planned release of genetically modified mosquitoes comes as more reports pop up all over the state that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a dangerous and invasive mosquito species, has been spotted in different parts of the state. Aedes aegypti, colloquially called the yellow fever mosquito, is known for carrying diseases like Zika, dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. "...

Biotech company prepares to release GM mosquitoes in Florida neighborhood

To remedy the situation, British biotech firm Oxitec has patented a method of mutating Aedes aegypti with coral, cabbage, and elements of the E. coli bacteria and herpes simplex virus genes.(1) Translation: They've created a genetically-modified mosquito. ... Both diseases can be spread by Aedes aegypti.(1) Interestingly, both diseases are rare in the United States. "...

Google's sister company releasing 20 million mosquitoes infected with fertility-destroying bacteria... DEPOPULATION experiment?

During the experiment, Verily Life Sciences will monitor the population density and egg hatching among the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ... In Texas, for instance, Microsoft is experimenting with a “smart trap” that can isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. "...

Warning: Deadly Zika now sexually transmitted; Florida declares public health emergency

They were found in people who had recently traveled in tropical regions, and were most likely infected by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. ... However, the Aedes aegypti mosquito does live in the south-eastern U.S. , and might cause small outbreaks as the weather warms. "...

Florida to deploy thousands of GMO mosquitoes to combat Zika; scientists say environmental impacts unknown

The project, which is being led by Oxitec, a biotechnology firm focusing on insect control, calls for releasing thousands of GM male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. ... Those particular Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were engineered to pass on a gene that caused the vast majority of offspring to die before they matured. "...

Here's the science on why you're a mosquito magnet (plus some natural ways to keep them at bay)

It is used by female mosquitoes, particularly the Aedes aegypti species, to detect lactic acid. ... A. aegypti mosquitoes transmit diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. "...

Malaysia unleashes 6,000 genetically-modified mosquitoes into wild

Scientists programmed the 6,000 genetically-modified (GM) Aedes aegypti male mosquitoes in such a way that when they breed with females, the offspring will die early and thus reduce their overall population. Only Aedes aegypti female mosquitoes are able to spread dengue fever, according to reports, so officials saw no problem with allowing the modified males to be released in an attempt to help reduce the mosquitoes' overall population. "...

Chrysanthemums: A natural deterrent for the yellow fever mosquito

In this study, which was published in The Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, they revealed that chrysanthemums (Dendranthema grandiflorum) are effective against the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti). - The yellow fever mosquito is a carrier of various disease-causing viruses such as the ones responsible for dengue, a temporarily disabling and potentially fatal disease. - One of the ways through which transmission of this disease can be prevented is by practicing pest control....

UK company Oxitec plans to release GM mosquitoes in Panama without required risk assessment

Because most of the offspring die before adulthood, this is intended to reduce the wild population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes , which carry the tropical disease dengue fever. ... "Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are part of a complex system which includes other mosquito species, the viruses they carry, and the humans that they bite," Wallace said. "...

WARNING: Experts say GM mosquitoes could transmit modified DNA to humans

The lab-bred GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, according to Oxitec – the biotech company that breeds them – are genetically programed to mate with wild females and transfer a gene that is fatal to any offspring. But critics of the technique say too little is known about the potential for long-term environmental damage, as well as how humans will react to the injection of the gene if they are bitten by a GM Aedes aegypti mosquito. "...

GM mosquito release in Brazil causes dengue emergency, despite being touted as preventive tool

They are all males of the species Aedes aegypti, the only variety of mosquito that transmits the disease dengue fever. ... Convinced by Oxitec's claims that field trials had shown an 81 to 100 percent reduction in Aedes aegypti numbers, the Brazilian regulatory agency Comissao Tecnica Nacional de Biosseguranca (CTNBio) recently approved weekly releases of the GM mosquitoes in the city of Jacobina, where the trials took place. "...

Brazil, Malaysia cancel GM mosquito trials citing risks and ineffectiveness

In fact, the risks were found to be so great that the plan was halted altogether; health officials expressed strong disinterest in pursuing the GM mosquito project after they found that these trials would ultimately be ineffective.(1) Releasing male GM Aedes aegypti mosquitoes into the wild with the hopes that they would mate and produce offspring that would die before adulthood - and therefore prevent the spread of dengue - were found to carry risks on health, financial and environmental ...

ALL ABOUT THE MOO-LAH: Four profit-driven agendas fueled by the manufactured Zika crisis

The mosquitoes are genetically modified to contain a "self-limiting" gene that prevents the Aedes aegypti species from producing offspring. ... Oxitec said that the insects would decrease up to 80 percent of Aedes aegypti species. "...

Bill Gates-funded Colombian mosquito factory breeds 30 million bacteria-infected mosquitoes weekly

The Wolbachia bacteria, which is existing in 50 percent of all insect species on Earth, affects mosquito reproduction, specifically the African mosquito species Aedes aegypti. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explained the use of Wolbachia, saying the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “has registered mosquitoes with Wolbachia to evaluate how effective they are in reducing numbers of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, not other types of mosquitoes.” "...

US military used Zika mosquito as biological weapon against Communists

Sarah Laskow from Atlas Obscura tells the hidden story of Zika in a new investigative report, uncovering a little-known plot by the American military to use Aedes aegypti mosquitos, the main carriers of Zika, during the McCarthy-era "Red Scare." ... Experiments that were previously hidden involved raising hundreds of thousands of A. aegypti mosquitos for the purpose of studying their spread. "...

Genetically modified mosquitoes are being released in Florida Keys despite protests

In a week, some 12,000 genetically modified (GM) male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes will emerge out of each box, making the first batch of . ... In a statement, Oxitec said A. aegypti mosquitoes make up only four percent of the mosquito population in the Keys. "...

GM mosquitoes increase spread of dengue fever in Brazilian town, causing state of emergency to be renewed

"The large-scale release of OX513A, altering the reproductive performance of the Aedes aegypti, can trigger a population explosion of other vectors, with implications for adaptive dengue virus mechanisms in epidemiological terms and consequences for public health," pointed out several CTNBio members opposed to OX513's approval in a recent paper to the commission. "[T]he almost complete [suppression] of local populations of A. aegypti by the OX513A will possibly cause migration ...

Pomelos found to be a great natural insecticide

In their study, published in the Indian Journal of Natural Products and Sciences, they identified the pomelo fruit (C. grandis) to have toxic effect against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti, making it a . ... It’s a disease spread by a vector, in this case, A. aegypti — a mosquito common in the Western hemisphere. "...

Genetically modified mosquitoes may soon be released in Florida

In an effort to help eradicate dengue fever and the mosquitos that spread it, the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) is seeking federal and state approval to release hundreds of thousands of genetically-modified (GM) mosquitos designed to kill off the natural Aedes aegypti variety of the fly throughout Key West, Florida. "...

CDC issues travel alert over Zika virus that causes miscarriages; affected regions include Latin America and the Caribbean

For approximately two hours after the sun rises and several hours before it sets, the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are out lurking, looking for blood to feed on or a pool of stagnant water to reproduce in. The Aedes mosquitoes are the infamous vectors of three nasty viral infections: dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. "...