May 1, 2025 • 6 mins
Pasco County is trying to deal with a spike in its mosquito population by stifling reproduction. We speak with the mosquito control district's executive director, Adriane Rogers, about a pilot program to use sterile male mosquitoes to prevent females from breeding the next generation of bloodsuckers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. It's dry, but
we're approaching the return of rainy season in most of
Florida and that means mosquito season. Pasco County is trying
a new technique to control the mosquito population there. Pasco
Mosquito Controls Executive Director Adrianne Rodgers joins us to talk
about it. Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Thank you so much, Gordon. I'm happy to be here all.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Right now, you're going to be using sterile mosquitos to
control populations of the EIGHTIESI jipti mosquito. How does this
process work? And what diseases concern you that are tied
to this type of mosquito.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So here at the Pasco County Mosquito Control District, we
are excited to share that, Yes, we are launching a
new environmentally responsible tool that we're adding to our mosquito
control efforts.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
We are going to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Be conducting what we're calling a proof of concept trial
using the Sterile Insect Technique or SIIT. This is part
of our integrated mosquito management program and we're focusing solely
on One's Pieches, a mosquito that is known.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
To be a major disease vector and can is.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Responsible for spreading dengay zeka chicken gunya yellow fever. And
that's the eighties of Gypti mosquito. Now, this is one
of our biggest and most most concerning mosquito species that
is a potential vector for these diseases in our area.
And the steril insect technique is a scientifically proven method
that's been used globally for over seventy years to control
(01:26):
agricultural and public health threats things like fruit flies and
screw worms and seats fly. Serial insect technique works by
releasing sterilized male insects into the environment, and we only
release male mosquitoes, which do not bite, so releasing the
males will not increase mosquito bites in the area, and
more importantly, there's no increased risk of disease transmission. So
(01:49):
by releasing a large number of these sterile male eighties
a jypdi mosquitoes into the environment, they outcompete wild male
mosquitos for mates.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
And since the mal eighties.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Of Gypti mosquitoes typically only mate once in their lifetime,
mating with a sterile male will then prevent them from
producing offspring any eggs that are produced do not hatch,
and so this leads to a gradual, controlled, very localized
population decline of that mosquito species over time. And this
is a safe, sustainable, species specific control option does not
(02:23):
harm other insects animals, not even other mosquito species.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
And this program, as you mentioned, has been used elsewhere.
What kind of success have those areas seen in controlling
their mosquito population as a result of using the steril releases.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So specifically using sterilized eighties of Jypti mosquitoes. There are
a couple of programs here in the state of Florida
that have been using this for the past couple of
years and shown great success. Lee County Mosquito Control District
and Anastasia Mosquito Control District have been conducting release of
these sterile males over the last couple of years in
an area Santa bell and Captiva Island down in Lee County,
(03:02):
and they saw a great reduction in the eighties Jypti
population and therefore a lower risk for potential for disease transmission.
There so successful that they have now expanded their SIIT
program to include the area a specific area in downtown
Fort Myers, so very urbanized area there locally, and this
(03:23):
year in twenty twenty five, they have further plans to
expand their project to even beyond what they've been doing.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And similarly, Anna.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Stage Mosquito Control District has been using sterilized male eighties
Egypties for release in an area in Saint Augustine, so
again a very urbanized area. They're downtown Saint Augustine and
have shown good results that they're continuing their efforts this
year as well.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Call Your Mosquito Control.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
District is now doing a very similar thing to what
we're doing and launching their own.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Proof of concept trial.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
They're actually underway already, they've been doing this for the
past month or so. We also have programs like Polk County,
the Indian River County, they're also going to be conducting
similar proof of concept trials this spring, just.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Like we are here in Pasco.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
What's go ahead.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
The Sarah insect technique perfectly aligns with Pasco County Mosquito
Control districts commitment to our science based, sustainable public health
protection and that's really what we're doing. We're looking to
complement our existing mosquito control strategies.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
With this and it could offer long term.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Potential if it's successful here in Pasco County. It's another
tool for us to utilize in our science based, fully
comprehensive program using a variety of different techniques to control
mosquito populations and again lower that risk of disease transmission.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What's your timeline for this release and are you addressing
are you vectoring it towards certain areas of the county.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yes, we are lost launching this sit program with our
first release of sterilized eighties zip din mail mosquitos starting
next week on May eighth, in a very high risk
area in in Pasco County neighborhood where we have historically
high eighties eighties of JYP dye collections. It's roughly a
thirty acre site in the Holiday area and we will
(05:10):
be conducting an eight week trial using these sterilized.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Male eighties of JIPT mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
And we have already increased surveillance in the area looking
specifically at what that particular mosquito population is doing over
the last couple of months, and during the release, we'll
have that heightened surveillance as well extensive monitoring of the
mosquito population and can we have that compared to another
(05:36):
area that we use as what we call a control site,
so an area where we're not doing the releases but
have a very similar population density for eighties a jip dye,
and so we compare it to an area that we're
doing these.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Other things as well and see what the difference is.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And so over time, if it's successful, we should see
we should not see an increase in this particular release site,
just like what we would conversely what we would in
the control area.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It'll be an interesting process to watch and certainly everybody
except the mosquitoes will be rooting for the success of
this project. Adrian Rodgers is the executive director in the
Passco Counting Mosquito Control District. Thank you very much for
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It was a pleasure speaking with you today, Gordon. I
really appreciate the opportunity. This project reflects the very best
of what science, innovation and public service can achieve when
we all work together. And the use of sterile insect
technique here in Pasco County. You know, we're not just
reducing the disease risk, We're trying to build.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
A healthier, safer future. For our families and our community.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And together with transparency and shared purpose, we all have
very meaningful We can make a meaningful, impactful difference in
protecting public health here.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
So thank you very much, Gordon
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. It's dry, but
we're approaching the return of rainy season in most of
Florida and that means mosquito season. Pasco County is trying
a new technique to control the mosquito population there. Pasco
Mosquito Controls Executive Director Adrianne Rodgers joins us to talk
about it. Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Thank you so much, Gordon. I'm happy to be here all.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Right now, you're going to be using sterile mosquitos to
control populations of the EIGHTIESI jipti mosquito. How does this
process work? And what diseases concern you that are tied
to this type of mosquito.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So here at the Pasco County Mosquito Control District, we
are excited to share that, Yes, we are launching a
new environmentally responsible tool that we're adding to our mosquito
control efforts.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
We are going to.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Be conducting what we're calling a proof of concept trial
using the Sterile Insect Technique or SIIT. This is part
of our integrated mosquito management program and we're focusing solely
on One's Pieches, a mosquito that is known.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
To be a major disease vector and can is.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Responsible for spreading dengay zeka chicken gunya yellow fever. And
that's the eighties of Gypti mosquito. Now, this is one
of our biggest and most most concerning mosquito species that
is a potential vector for these diseases in our area.
And the steril insect technique is a scientifically proven method
that's been used globally for over seventy years to control
(01:26):
agricultural and public health threats things like fruit flies and
screw worms and seats fly. Serial insect technique works by
releasing sterilized male insects into the environment, and we only
release male mosquitoes, which do not bite, so releasing the
males will not increase mosquito bites in the area, and
more importantly, there's no increased risk of disease transmission. So
(01:49):
by releasing a large number of these sterile male eighties
a jypdi mosquitoes into the environment, they outcompete wild male
mosquitos for mates.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
And since the mal eighties.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Of Gypti mosquitoes typically only mate once in their lifetime,
mating with a sterile male will then prevent them from
producing offspring any eggs that are produced do not hatch,
and so this leads to a gradual, controlled, very localized
population decline of that mosquito species over time. And this
is a safe, sustainable, species specific control option does not
(02:23):
harm other insects animals, not even other mosquito species.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
And this program, as you mentioned, has been used elsewhere.
What kind of success have those areas seen in controlling
their mosquito population as a result of using the steril releases.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
So specifically using sterilized eighties of Jypti mosquitoes. There are
a couple of programs here in the state of Florida
that have been using this for the past couple of
years and shown great success. Lee County Mosquito Control District
and Anastasia Mosquito Control District have been conducting release of
these sterile males over the last couple of years in
an area Santa bell and Captiva Island down in Lee County,
(03:02):
and they saw a great reduction in the eighties Jypti
population and therefore a lower risk for potential for disease transmission.
There so successful that they have now expanded their SIIT
program to include the area a specific area in downtown
Fort Myers, so very urbanized area there locally, and this
(03:23):
year in twenty twenty five, they have further plans to
expand their project to even beyond what they've been doing.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
And similarly, Anna.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Stage Mosquito Control District has been using sterilized male eighties
Egypties for release in an area in Saint Augustine, so
again a very urbanized area. They're downtown Saint Augustine and
have shown good results that they're continuing their efforts this
year as well.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Call Your Mosquito Control.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
District is now doing a very similar thing to what
we're doing and launching their own.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Proof of concept trial.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
They're actually underway already, they've been doing this for the
past month or so. We also have programs like Polk County,
the Indian River County, they're also going to be conducting
similar proof of concept trials this spring, just.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Like we are here in Pasco.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
What's go ahead.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
The Sarah insect technique perfectly aligns with Pasco County Mosquito
Control districts commitment to our science based, sustainable public health
protection and that's really what we're doing. We're looking to
complement our existing mosquito control strategies.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
With this and it could offer long term.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Potential if it's successful here in Pasco County. It's another
tool for us to utilize in our science based, fully
comprehensive program using a variety of different techniques to control
mosquito populations and again lower that risk of disease transmission.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
What's your timeline for this release and are you addressing
are you vectoring it towards certain areas of the county.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yes, we are lost launching this sit program with our
first release of sterilized eighties zip din mail mosquitos starting
next week on May eighth, in a very high risk
area in in Pasco County neighborhood where we have historically
high eighties eighties of JYP dye collections. It's roughly a
thirty acre site in the Holiday area and we will
(05:10):
be conducting an eight week trial using these sterilized.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Male eighties of JIPT mosquitoes.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
And we have already increased surveillance in the area looking
specifically at what that particular mosquito population is doing over
the last couple of months, and during the release, we'll
have that heightened surveillance as well extensive monitoring of the
mosquito population and can we have that compared to another
(05:36):
area that we use as what we call a control site,
so an area where we're not doing the releases but
have a very similar population density for eighties a jip dye,
and so we compare it to an area that we're
doing these.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Other things as well and see what the difference is.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And so over time, if it's successful, we should see
we should not see an increase in this particular release site,
just like what we would conversely what we would in
the control area.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
It'll be an interesting process to watch and certainly everybody
except the mosquitoes will be rooting for the success of
this project. Adrian Rodgers is the executive director in the
Passco Counting Mosquito Control District. Thank you very much for
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It was a pleasure speaking with you today, Gordon. I
really appreciate the opportunity. This project reflects the very best
of what science, innovation and public service can achieve when
we all work together. And the use of sterile insect
technique here in Pasco County. You know, we're not just
reducing the disease risk, We're trying to build.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
A healthier, safer future. For our families and our community.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
And together with transparency and shared purpose, we all have
very meaningful We can make a meaningful, impactful difference in
protecting public health here.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
So thank you very much, Gordon
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