Elche Launches Biotech Battle Against Tiger Mosquitoes
Innovative Sterile Insect Technique Deployed in Spanish Municipality
Elche, Spain, 2025-06-14 12:00:00 – Time.news Staff.
Elche, a Spanish municipality, is on the front lines of a new fight against the tiger mosquito, deploying a cutting-edge biotech strategy to protect public health.
- Elche is using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) to combat tiger mosquitoes.
- Over 2.4 million sterile male mosquitoes will be released between 2025 and 2026.
- The project aims to cover 50 hectares, including agricultural and urban areas.
In a bid to protect its residents from the nuisance and potential health risks posed by tiger mosquitoes, Elche has initiated a biotech project using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). This innovative approach aims to drastically reduce the local mosquito population.
A Massive, Controlled Release to Reduce Mosquito Population
The plan involves the release of over 2.4 million sterile male mosquitoes between 2025 and 2026. The core focus will be a 18-hectare zone, but the project’s reach is anticipated to extend to 50 hectares, including both agricultural and urban areas, due to the insects’ dispersal behavior.
The method, known as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), prevents reproduction by causing released males to mate with wild females without producing viable offspring. The launch of the plan occurred at the Hort de Baix, one of the municipality’s most significant green spaces. Releases are scheduled weekly and will continue until the end of the year. The City Council of Elche has announced a budget of 1.7 million euros, funded by the Conselleria de Agricultura, as part of an integrated biological control program.
Elche was selected for this initiative due to its more than one hundred hectares of green spaces and several wetlands, which create a high-exposure environment. Ten public orchards, totaling over 17 hectares, have been chosen for this initial phase.
What is the Sterile Insect Technique? The SIT involves releasing large numbers of sterilized male insects to mate with wild females, preventing them from producing offspring and thus reducing the population.
Miguel Barrachina, the Conseller de Agricultura, explained that this measure “is part of an integrated plan of biotechnological control that is being applied in different locations in the Comunitat Valenciana with the aim of minimizing risks.”
Previous Successes Show This Approach is Replicable
The technique’s effects have already been documented in other areas. Vicente Dalmau, head of the Plant Health service of the Generalitat, stated, “Thanks to this pest control method, large quantities of sterile tiger mosquitoes will be released, which do not bite and will mate with wild females so that the eggs they lay are unviable.”
This strategy has shown positive results in multiple countries for years. In Singapore, a similar approach has been adopted to curb the spread of dengue fever, using another species in the same genus, Aedes aegypti. Similar experiences have been recorded in Australia, where this technology has been used against other vectors, such as fruit flies or even species related to malaria.
In Spain, the Comunitat Valenciana has several precedents. Pilot projects based on SIT began development in 2017. One of the most ambitious took place in 2023, when the Conselleria released nine million sterilized insects as part of an experimental program.
Tiger Mosquitoes Thrive in the Mediterranean
The tiger mosquito, native to Asia, has firmly established itself in many areas of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly near the coast. Besides the annoyance of their bites, they can transmit diseases such as Zika, chikungunya, or dengue. Its adaptability, combined with climate change and urban development, has made it a constant threat in the Mediterranean basin.
The method started in Elche presents no risk to people or the environment, as the released mosquitoes do not feed on blood and cannot bite. Their sole purpose is to interfere with the reproductive cycle. Though results are not immediate, a considerable reduction in the total population is expected within a few months.
The combination of technical planning, public funding, and institutional collaboration has allowed this Alicante municipality to lead a strategy that may pave the way for other locations affected by this invasive insect.
Elche Launches Biotech Battle Against Tiger Mosquitoes
What is Sterile?
The term “sterile” has several meanings which need clarification.
In a healthcare context, “sterile” and “aseptic” mean the same thing: free of germs [[1]]. However, it’s more often used for environments like operating rooms and surgical tools like scalpels [[1]]. Sterility, in this instance, is an surroundings free from living microorganisms.
Additionally, “sterile” can mean incapable of producing offspring [[3]]. This submission applies to both humans and other living things.
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