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Order a box of mosquito eggs
The product is literally a box of eggs. Adding water is the customer's whole job, and the eggs hatch on their own.
The mosquitoes are modified to lose the biting and the ability to carry disease. After hatching, they mate with the mosquitoes already living in the area, and the offspring become sterile.
The startup's pitch reaches from reducing dengue in Africa to taking the nuisance of biting out of a golf course or the Four Seasons.
Why release only male mosquitoes?
Only female mosquitoes bite, because they need protein from blood to develop their eggs. Males feed on plant nectar. A release of modified males can therefore pass a trait to the local population without adding to the biting. In the wild, males then mate with local females, and the trait travels through the next generation.
How could fewer mosquitoes mean less dengue?
Dengue spreads when a mosquito bites an infected person and later bites someone else. The main carriers are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, according to the World Health Organization. Fewer mosquitoes means fewer bites and fewer chances for the virus to pass along. The WHO says about half of the world's population lives in areas at risk of dengue.
Why do mosquitoes bounce back after spraying?
Spraying mostly kills adult mosquitoes, while eggs and larvae sit in standing water. Aedes aegypti eggs can survive dry conditions for months and hatch when water returns. A small bottle cap of water is enough for a breeding spot. Populations can rebuild within weeks after a spray unless the sources of water are dealt with.
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