12-04-2015, 12:08 PM
"The idea of the release of a modified male to cause a collapse in the breeding cycle of an insect is not new here. As far back as the 80s the Department of Ag was promoting the use of sterilized male fruit flies to eradicate the Medfly. As attractive as it all sounds I do not think it is a cure all. Note that the Medfly is still with us. "
Unlike those primitive attempts that used radiation trying to find that magic ground between no effect / sterilization / wounded or dead, and then picking out the 'sterilized winners' meticulously by hand with tiny little forceps, all the trials with GMO mosquitoes have shown drastic population collapses of the target mosquito.
There ARE legitimate concerns on using this technology. For example, if you decimate a species that transmit disease X and that causes a competing mosquito species that transmit disease Y (malaria) to explode in population due to no competition, then the overall experiment will have mixed results. Trading a vector with one disease for a vector with a WORSE disease.... probably not a great idea.
Scientists have to tread on this one lightly. In most areas, the only type of mosquitoes that would be considered for localized extinction would be those that were imported. The endemic mosquitoes have an important place in the food chain and getting rid of them could have catastrophic results on the ecosystem. Anybody who has ever owned a Beta fish and fed them blood worms (freeze dried mosquito larvae) have a grade-school exposure to this.
But, as far as I know, ALL mosquito species were introduced to Hawaii accidentally by humans, and they have had only catastrophic effects o the ecosystem.
Eradicate them. ALL OF THEM.
Unlike those primitive attempts that used radiation trying to find that magic ground between no effect / sterilization / wounded or dead, and then picking out the 'sterilized winners' meticulously by hand with tiny little forceps, all the trials with GMO mosquitoes have shown drastic population collapses of the target mosquito.
There ARE legitimate concerns on using this technology. For example, if you decimate a species that transmit disease X and that causes a competing mosquito species that transmit disease Y (malaria) to explode in population due to no competition, then the overall experiment will have mixed results. Trading a vector with one disease for a vector with a WORSE disease.... probably not a great idea.
Scientists have to tread on this one lightly. In most areas, the only type of mosquitoes that would be considered for localized extinction would be those that were imported. The endemic mosquitoes have an important place in the food chain and getting rid of them could have catastrophic results on the ecosystem. Anybody who has ever owned a Beta fish and fed them blood worms (freeze dried mosquito larvae) have a grade-school exposure to this.
But, as far as I know, ALL mosquito species were introduced to Hawaii accidentally by humans, and they have had only catastrophic effects o the ecosystem.
Eradicate them. ALL OF THEM.