Mariposa Fire

Do They Bite, Or Don’t They? Common Myths And Misconceptions About “Debug Fresno”

Debug Fresno is a pilot project aimed at developing a technique to control a nasty species of invasive mosquito known as Aedes aegypti. It involves releasing millions of mosquitoes infected with wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacteria, in three test areas in Fresno and Clovis. It may seem like a paradox, but the ultimate goal is to reduce the overall A. aegypti population, and techniques like this have succeeded in other parts of the world. That’s what Debug Fresno is—but it’s also important to talk about what Debug Fresno isn’t. Many Fresno residents feel squeamish, uncertain and even mistrustful about lab-grown mosquitoes in their neighborhoods, and they’ve raised a lot of questions about the project with local authorities and in online communities. Here, we’ve collected some of the most common concerns and addressed them with the help of scientists involved in the project. 1) Debug Fresno is releasing biting mosquitoes into Fresno County. Mostly false. Steve Mulligan of the Fresno
https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kvpr/files/styles/big_story/public/201805/AedesAegypti.jpg

Exit mobile version