French city to release 200,000 sterile male mosquitos

"The technique of using X-rays to sterilise the male mosquitoes and then releasing them into the wild is a new way to try and control the mosquito population, which has increased sharply in recent years due to warming temperatures and increasing immunity to pesticides."

"The release will be conducted from the beginning of May in the commune of Mions, in the Lyon suburbs, which has tracked a significant increase in mosquitoes over the past decade and is unable to control them using traditional methods."

"The X-ray technique was developed by Terratis, a company in Hérault, southern France, and involves rearing male mosquitoes in the laboratory and then using X-rays to make them sterile."

"The Mions local authorities will release 200,000 males between the start of May and the end of the summer, with the goal of halving the mosquito population within a year."

Lyon plans to release 200,000 sterile male tiger mosquitoes to manage their population, which has surged due to climate change and pesticide resistance. The X-ray sterilization method, developed by Terratis, involves breeding male mosquitoes in a lab and irradiating them to render them sterile. These males will be released in Mions, where mosquito numbers have increased significantly. The initiative aims to reduce the mosquito population by half within a year, addressing the public health risks posed by these insects.

Read at The Local France