Argentina sterilizes mosquitoes with radiation to battle dengue outbreak

[MilHojas]

Argentina sterilizes mosquitoes with radiation to battle devastating dengue outbreak

Biologists in Argentina are battling one of the country’s worst dengue outbreaks by sterilizing male mosquitos with atomic radiation. They plan to release the insects outdoors in November.

www.foxnews.com

 

[Redpossum]

Argentina sterilizes mosquitoes with radiation to battle devastating dengue outbreak

Biologists in Argentina are battling one of the country’s worst dengue outbreaks by sterilizing male mosquitos with atomic radiation. They plan to release the insects outdoors in November.

www.foxnews.com

Oh that's a scary idea.
The last time there was a major release of supposedly sterilized mosquitoes here in Latin America, (in Brazil), it was shortly followed by the Zika epidemic.

 

[carride]

This is something I linked from US story about preparing for summer. DIY bucket to have mosquito lay eggs, but then a bacterial kills the larvae. Later as I read the instructions, it is not all DIY because you need to buy the pellet “dunks” into the bucket. I had heard of these pellets last time in US. Wonder if they are available to argentina. Not a poison, Mosquito Dunks release a bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis aka B.t.i.)

Mosquito Bucket of Doom

Mosquito season is here! Instead of spraying pesticides onto our entire yards—and onto fireflies, ladybugs, bumblebees, and butterflies—why not kill *only* mosquitoes? But first: let’s PREVEN…

sidewalknature.com

https://www.village.mamaroneck.ny.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif826/f/uploads/mosquito_dunk_faqs.pdf

 

[Redpossum]

This is something I linked from US story about preparing for summer. DIY bucket to have mosquito lay eggs, but then a bacterial kills the larvae. Later as I read the instructions, it is not all DIY because you need to buy the pellet “dunks” into the bucket. I had heard of these pellets last time in US. Wonder if they are available to argentina. Not a poison, Mosquito Dunks release a bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis aka B.t.i.)

Mosquito Bucket of Doom

Mosquito season is here! Instead of spraying pesticides onto our entire yards—and onto fireflies, ladybugs, bumblebees, and butterflies—why not kill *only* mosquitoes? But first: let’s PREVEN…

sidewalknature.com

https://www.village.mamaroneck.ny.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif826/f/uploads/mosquito_dunk_faqs.pdf

The major advantage of B. thuringiensis products is that they are thought to affect few non-target species. However, even though Bti may have minimal direct effects on non-target organisms, it may potentially be associated with knock-on effects on food webs and other ecosystem properties, including biodiversity and ecosystem functioning

Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

as quoted from-

What are the effects of control of mosquitoes and other nematoceran Diptera using the microbial agent Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems? A systematic review protocol - Environmental Evidence

Background The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis serovar israelensis (Bti) is used in many countries as a biological larvicide to control dipteran insects of the suborder Nematocera, especially mosquitoes and black flies. Bti is generally accepted to be target-specific and efficient, with low...

environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com