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Collier Mosquito Control District begins collecting data for new eradication technique

Colorized image of Aedes Aegypti by NIAID
NIAID
The program targets Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, an invasive species that can spread diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya.

In January, the county launched a program designed to lower the mosquito population by sterilizing male mosquitos with low dose X-rays, rendering them infertile.

The Collier Mosquito Control District launched a program known as sterile insect technique in January. It involves sterilizing male mosquitos with low dose X-rays, rendering them infertile.

The program targets Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, an invasive species that can spread diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya and is resistant to some traditional methods of mosquito control.

Male mosquitoes do not bite, and releasing them into the wild poses no risks to humans, pets, wildlife or the environment. The technique has been proven safe and effective, and does not involve any genetic modification. It has been used in Lee County for several years.

This week, the Collier district will begin trapping mosquitoes in Golden Gate City to collect data and population numbers. It will continue until the end of peak mosquito season in the fall.

The data will be used to monitor the mosquito population and the effectiveness of the releases.

Copyright 2025 WGCU

Cary Barbor is the local host of All Things Considered and a reporter for WGCU. She was a producer for Martha Stewart Radio on Sirius XM, where she hosted a live interview show with authors of new books called Books and Authors. She was a producer for The Leonard Lopate Show, a live, daily show that covered arts, culture, politics, and food on New York City’s public radio station WNYC. She also worked as a producer on Studio 360, a weekly culture magazine; and The Sunday Long Read, a show that features in-depth conversations with journalists and other writers. She has filed stories for The Pulse and Here & Now. In addition to radio, she has a career writing for magazines, including Salon, Teen Vogue, New York, Health, and More. She has published short stories and personal essays and is always working on a novel. She was a Knight Journalism Fellow, where she studied health reporting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and followed epidemiologists around Kenya and Alaska. She has a B.A. in English from Lafayette College and an M.A. in Literature from the University of Massachusetts.