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Google to Release 32 Million Mosquitoes in US
31 May
Summary
- Google seeks approval for releasing 32 million lab-bred mosquitoes.
- The experiment aims to reduce mosquito-borne diseases.
- Sterilized male mosquitoes will be released in Florida and California.
Google's Debug initiative is seeking approval to release 32 million laboratory-bred mosquitoes across Florida and California over a two-year period. This experimental project, filed in December 2025, aims to curb the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
The plan involves infecting male mosquitoes with a strain of Wolbachia bacterium. When these males mate with wild females, the resulting eggs will not hatch. This method, which has been used successfully for other pests, targets mosquito population control without chemicals.
Releasing sterile males will not increase the biting population, as only female mosquitoes bite. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the proposal, which is part of Debug's decade-long effort to develop innovative mosquito control technologies.
