Officials deploy X-rays to target pesky and dangerous insects: 'We know it works'
One Southwest Florida county is using X-rays to cull the population of invasive mosquitoes that spread diseases including dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya.
According to local news station WGCU, the Collier Mosquito Control District recently launched a project that uses low-dose X-rays to sterilize male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The technique has been used in nearby Lee County for several years, it added.
This program looks to reduce the number of these nonnative bloodsuckers, which can help protect people from the diseases they carry. Zika can cause mild symptoms such as fever, rash, and headache but also lead to pregnancy complications, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile, serious cases of dengue can lead to severe abdominal pain, blood in the stool, bleeding gums or nose, persistent vomiting, and even death, according to the World Health Organization.
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Though Florida has long been a suitable breeding ground for mosquitoes, the warming planet has led to more favorable conditions for these disease vectors there and in many other parts of the world.
For instance, increased rainfall and higher temperatures are making Miami a more suitable habitat for mosquitoes, according to one local pediatrician who noted that children are particularly vulnerable to vector-borne diseases including Zika and chikungunya. In 2024, the state recorded over 50 confirmed cases of locally acquired dengue following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Meanwhile, the Americas experienced a nearly 300% surge of the disease in 2024.
Amid the rising threat of vector-borne diseases, scientists are scrambling to control mosquito populations. For instance, Djibouti deployed a controversial method that involves releasing genetically modified mosquitoes that kill disease-spreading ones. The same technique has been used in Brazil and Florida.
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Keira Lucas of the Collier Mosquito Control District told WGCU that the X-ray technique is safe for the local environment and does not involve genetic modification.
"This has been used in agriculture for 50-plus years," she said. "It was used to eradicate screwworm in the state of Florida. So we know it works, we just need to know it works within our operations."
"It's very similar to as if a cat or dog gets spayed or neutered," Decyo McDuffie, Collier Mosquito Control District field validation manager, told Fox 4. He explained that they collect mosquitoes in the field, ship them to Atlanta for sterilization, and then release them back into the environment.
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Officials deploy X-rays to target pesky and dangerous insects: 'We know it works' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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