Google Aims to Debug California and Florida by Releasing 64 Million Mosquitoes
Google's Debug Project plans to release 64 million lab-grown male mosquitoes in California and Florida to reduce disease-carrying populations. The initiative aims to combat illnesses like dengue and Zika by using Wolbachia-infected males that breed with wild females, resulting in non-hatching eggs. Previous projects have successfully decreased mosquito populations by over 95% in other regions, but the plan faces opposition from some community members concerned about potential risks.
- ▪Google's Debug Project seeks an experimental use permit from the EPA to release 64 million lab-grown male mosquitoes.
- ▪The infected males will breed with wild females, leading to a significant reduction in the mosquito population.
- ▪Previous releases in places like Fresno resulted in a 95% drop in biting female mosquitoes.
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Google Google Aims to Debug California and Florida by Releasing 64 Million Mosquitoes An earlier project already led to a 95 percent drop in biting females of one disease-carrying species in Fresno. Ronald Bailey | 6.4.2026 2:45 PM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/06/Google-Mosquito-6-2-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="The Google logo, next to an illustration of mosquitoes" alt="The Google logo, next to an illustration of mosquitoes | Adani Samat/Midjourney" /> (Adani Samat/Midjourney) The Debug Project at Google (parent company Alphabet) aims to…
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