Our Solution

Oxitec’s non-biting male mosquitoes emerge from just-add-water boxes to mate with invasive females. 

Pre-determined, private property locations in the Florida Keys host Oxitec’s male Aedes aegypti boxes, that slowly release self-limiting, male mosquitoes. Like all male mosquitoes, Oxitec’s mosquitoes DO NOT BITE. Oxitec’s self-limiting gene allows the release of male-only adult mosquitoes into the environment which mate with invasive females. The self-limiting gene prevents female offspring from surviving. With sustained releases of self-limiting male mosquitoes, the number of females in the population declines, and the target invasive population declines.

 Oxitec’s Mosquitoes - Quick facts

• Oxitec mosquitoes do not bite;

• Oxitec mosquitoes are safe, non-toxic and self-limiting;

• Oxitec’s mosquitoes do not pose a threat to humans or the environment, as confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2016 and by the EPA in 2020 and 2022;

• More than one billion Oxitec mosquitoes have been released worldwide, with no negative impacts;

• More than 100 scientific studies and peer-reviewed papers have been published about Oxitec’s technology, a diverse cross-section of which can be found on Oxitec’s website;

• Oxitec’s field pilot projects are small, designed to demonstrate their ability to combat invasive pest female (biting) Aedes aegypti relative to untreated control areas, as well as other operational and performance-related features; 

• No tetracycline will have been used with Oxitec’s mosquitoes deployed in Florida.