Indeed
Posted on 07/02/2023 9:06:22 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a British biotech firm’s application to release 2.4 million genetically altered mosquitoes into the wild as an “experimental pesticide product.”
Via NBC News:
The experimental public health effort, which still requires final approval from state regulators, follows the 2021 release of 144,000 genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys by British biotech firm Oxitec.
Oxitec said its genetically modified male, and thus non-biting, mosquitoes “find and mate with invasive female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, mediating a reduction of the target population as the female offspring of these encounters cannot survive,” thus reducing the overall population…
Oxitec’s mosquito release — which the EPA calls an “experimental pesticide product” — can take place in a 34,760-acre area across the two states between now and April 30, 2024, when the experiment ends.
Via Oxitec’s press release announcing FDA approval (emphasis added):
Oxitec, the leading developer of biological pest control solutions, is proud to announce the publication by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its approval to conduct pilot projects of Oxitec’s safe, non-biting, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in California and Florida. Two pilot projects were approved, one with the Delta Mosquito and Vector Control District (Delta MVCD) in California and one with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD) in Florida.
This approval is an extension of the Experimental Use Permit (EUP) granted in 2020 by the EPA for a pilot project in the Florida Keys, which was successfully carried out in 2021. Alongside its in-depth scientific evaluation process was a 30-day period for public comments. The EPA reviewed and responded to each public comment before issuing its approval…
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Oxitec’s safe, sustainable and targeted biological pest control technology does not harm beneficial insects* like bees and butterflies and is proven to control the disease transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito, which has invaded communities in Florida, California and other U.S. states. In California, since first being detected in 2013, this mosquito has rapidly spread to more than 20 counties throughout the state, increasing the risk of transmission of dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever and other diseases.
Regarding the second claim — that Oxitec’s product “does not harm beneficial insects” — there is, of course, no way to affirmatively know the long-term effects of this product on local fauna because three years is a blip on the radar in the Public Health™ domain.
I HATE skeeters.
Anything to kill trillions of the damn lawyer bugs is a good thing.
What could possibly go wrong?
Look up a copy of the book Locusts. The North American locusts went spontaneously extinct due to a random genetic mutation
The government has such a great track record of messing with the environment. Look at Buffel grass in the southwest and Cutsu in the southeast United States. The USDA brought both of them in. They are both an invasive plant species that are currently wreaking havoc where they grow. The Buffel grass feeds wildfires in the southwest , Cutsu chokes out native vegetation in the southeast and invades structures.
Indeed
My exact thoughts.
Strange there have been malaria outbreaks in some places. And Gate$ is supposedly working on malaria vaccine. How convenient.
Yup.. no telling what are in the critters. Probably worse than Covid in the long run. As you say Malaria showed up after the last batch. But that could also have come Illegals from South America.
what could possibly go wrong...
I thought the skeeters were already released, and there were questions on how and why Florida allowed it to happen.
And why Florida and Texas? No Blue states, huh?
Ths article isn't about Gate's malaria skeeters, is it?
And a lot of birds, fish and other parts of the food chain get a lot of their nutrition from mosquitoes and/or their larva...What could go wrong?
Mosquitos are food for hundreds of animals. Doesn’t take a genius to see where this ends up.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is not the species which carries malaria. Aedes a. carry Zika, dengue, EEE, etc. viruses. Anopheles mosquitos carry malaria.
Aedes aegypti mosquitos feed mostly at dawn, dusk, in shaded areas, indoors.
Anopheles mosquitos feed mostly between dusk and during the night.
They did 20 million sterile skeeters (9x this story) around FR HQ a few years back...no noticeable change in the ecosystem. Human activity (feeding Canadian geese in ponding basins so they never return to Canada/feral cats eating birds, etc. are a bigger factor locally). Mosquitos need thinning like deer due to lack of natural predators like bats in city urban areas would be my take on it.
Fresno/FR HQ release:
https://newatlas.com/verily-mosquito-release-wolbachia/50521/
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