Google seeks EPA permit for 32,000,000 mosquito releases

Google is seeking federal approval to release millions of specially treated mosquitoes in Florida and California over the next two years as part of a public health initiative aimed at reducing populations of disease-carrying insects. The proposal, submitted by Google LLC to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, requests an experimental use permit to release up to 32 million male mosquitoes infected with a naturally occurring bacterium.

The plan targets the Culex quinquefasciatus species, known to spread West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis. West Nile virus is the leading mosquito-borne disease in the contiguous United States, causing more than 130 deaths and over 1,300 hospitalizations annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The technique involves releasing male mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia pipientis. When these males mate with wild females, the resulting eggs do not hatch. Because only female mosquitoes bite, the released males pose no direct risk to humans. The method does not involve genetic modification or chemical pesticides. Over successive generations, the goal is to suppress the local mosquito population.