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Drone-Deployed Sterile Mosquitoes Could Check Spread of Insect-Borne Illnesses
An international team of researchers created a technique to more quickly control mosquito populations and reduce insect-borne disease.
Credit: Bouyer et al.
French, Swiss, British, Brazilian, Senegalese and other researchers created a technique involving the drone deployment of sterile mosquitoes to more quickly control mosquito populations and reduce insect-borne disease.
The team released sterile male mosquitoes into the wild, which compete with other males for food and mates while producing no offspring.
The mosquitoes are grown in bulk, sterilized by radiation, and packed into cartridges at low temperatures, which prevent them from flying and biting.
They are brought to a target site and loaded onto a drone, which then ascends to a set altitude and releases thousands of the insects over the target area.
This method of dispersal can cover large difficult-to-navigate areas more quickly than manual techniques.
From TechCrunch
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