50,000 sterile male insects in Zagreb for population control.
This pilot project is also implemented in Portugal, Spain, Greece.
In Zagreb’s Cvetno district, 50,000 sterile male tiger mosquitoes were released for the first time as part of a pilot mosquito control project using a method used in several EU countries and Serbia, Tanjug said.
It is a biological method of fighting mosquitoes, which is carried out by releasing sterile males into nature.
“They mate with wild females of the same species in the area where they are released, with the result that the females create and hatch eggs from which no new mosquito individuals will develop,” explained the head of the Department of Disinfection, Disinsection and Deratization ” at the Department of the Educational Institute for Public Health “Dr. Andria Stampar” Ana Klobuchar, reported the Croatian portal Index.
The first 50,000 specimens of sterile mosquitoes were released last night, and next week another 50,000 will be released in the Tsvetno district.
Croatia imported sterile male mosquitoes from Italy, where the same technique is used. This pilot project is also being implemented in Portugal, Spain, Greece and Serbia.
The project is financed by the city of Zagreb, and the implementation of all activities by the Institute of Public Health costs about 10,000 euros.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-white-mosquito-86722/
