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Rural California Hatches Plan for Engineered Mosquitoes to Battle Stealthy Predator
Santa Cruz Sentinel ^ | May 10, 2022 | ANNA MARIA BARRY JESTER

Posted on 05/12/2022 10:16:01 AM PDT by nickcarraway

Bryan Ruiz moved his family into a newly built home in this Central Valley farming center seven months ago and almost immediately found they were under assault.

Mosquitoes bit and harassed them in broad daylight. He looked around, trying to find a water source where they were breeding, and noticed a freshly dug pipe, meant to drain water from the backyard to the front. He lifted its cap and inside found a small puddle in the drainage line, which didn’t have enough slope to fully empty.

He grabbed a turkey baster and drew water, already knowing what he would find: the larvae of Aedes aegypti, one of the greatest threats to humans on the planet.

Ruiz knew what he was looking for because he is in charge of a newly formed team that spends the summer months traveling around northern Tulare County to combat the invasion of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito capable of infecting humans with the deadly diseases of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika.

(Excerpt) Read more at santacruzsentinel.com ...


TOPICS: Local News; Pets/Animals; Science
KEYWORDS: whatcouldgowrong
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To: Repeal The 17th

This would have been late 1950s-early 1960s.

I remember it smelled bad, like bug spray always has; but nobody seemed harmed by it or concerned. People back then were more aware of malaria, and probably glad to have the spraying.


21 posted on 05/12/2022 10:50:21 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630

Probably malathion.


22 posted on 05/12/2022 11:04:04 AM PDT by Flash Bazbeaux
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To: arthurus

I would argue that she has killed more people than any other maniac that ever existed.


23 posted on 05/12/2022 11:11:33 AM PDT by Salamander (Please visit my profile page help save my beloved dog's life. https://www.givesendgo.com/G2FUF)
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To: nickcarraway

“a mosquito capable of infecting humans with the deadly diseases of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika”

Really, I think what they mean is the mosquito is capable of migrating these infections from one human (or other mammal) to another. The mosquitos themselves are likely unaffected by the viruses themselves.

So if the infections are not native to the area, how are the mosquitos going to spread them? Wait for one tourist to visit the area with a dengue fever infection, then bite him so they can spread it around???


24 posted on 05/12/2022 11:13:23 AM PDT by Boogieman
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To: nickcarraway

This would make a Far Side cartoon.


25 posted on 05/12/2022 11:13:50 AM PDT by lurk (u)
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To: nickcarraway
While this is a problem, I almost spit out my coffee, when I read he grabbed a "Turkey Baster".

Sorry, bur some past news stories can permanently cloud ones thought process when certain words appear in news reports.
26 posted on 05/12/2022 11:28:03 AM PDT by OneVike (Just another Christian waiting to go home)
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To: Born in 1950

For a second I thought you were suggesting that the oxide or breakdown of copper was a way of preventing this disease or infection. Copper and the greenish result for either air or water, can kill stuff in air conditioning units.


27 posted on 05/12/2022 11:35:26 AM PDT by George from New England
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To: Salamander

She certainly ranks with such Heroes of Murder as Stalin and Mao.


28 posted on 05/12/2022 11:46:55 AM PDT by arthurus (covfefe ]+|)
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To: nickcarraway

I’m sure nothing will go wrong. lol


29 posted on 05/12/2022 11:57:42 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA (Scratch a leftist and you'll find a fascist )
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To: dfwgator

Only the lady skeeters bite, no?


30 posted on 05/12/2022 12:19:57 PM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: Jamestown1630

If it was the 1950s it was DDT. And we ran behind the truck getting a nice cooling spray.
Strange. We also turned out normal when grown up.


31 posted on 05/12/2022 1:07:10 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (FREE AT LAST! Third time this year sprung from Facebook Jail! Any bets on how long out?)
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To: nickcarraway

Well I get sued when they discover I’ve been bitten by one of their GMO mosquitoes over here in NC?


32 posted on 05/12/2022 5:28:05 PM PDT by moovova
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