About 600,000 mosquitoes will be released into the Washington DC area this summer to help reduce local mosquito populations. Only male mosquitoes, infected with the natural Wolbachia bacteria, are released. They do not bite humans and the bacteria they carry prevent the eggs produced after mating from hatching.

Bee Safe Mosquito Control is the first company in the US to offer this form of pest control directly to residents. Historically, only local government mosquito control districts, public health agencies, or research associations have done so.

But the method is now gaining popularity, with Alphabet, Google’s parent company, seeking approval to release up to 64 million Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes in California and Florida. The effort comes as climate change creates more favorable conditions for mosquitoes to survive and reproduce, raising concerns about the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Video by Mabel Pickering