Drones Drop Mosquito "Birth Control" to Save Hawaii's Rare Birds

[{"selector":"#anim-77a6fffd-b51f-42c1-8e02-a58614908ffc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c0bf6bda-9bd4-47f2-aa11-985bc7d1784b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.55696%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":500,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-483fc470-5535-4fde-8ba4-f447e6138458","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":800,"duration":500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1d32dcee-9c17-4b66-b441-f8753dc66282","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-122.3301%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":800,"duration":500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Hawaii's beautiful honeycreepers are vanishing before our eyes – only 17 species remain of the original 55-60 that once flourished on the islands. Govind Tekale

The culprit? A deadly disease called avian malaria, spread by non-native mosquitoes that have invaded even the highest mountain forests.

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The 'Akikiki honeycreeper population has crashed from 450 birds in 2018 to just ONE remaining in the wild today – making it functionally extinct.

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Scientists have developed an ingenious solution: special male mosquitoes carrying a bacteria called Wolbachia that act like "birth control" when they mate with wild females.

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When these lab-bred males mate with wild female mosquitoes, the eggs never hatch – effectively breaking the mosquito life cycle without chemicals.

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The conservation strategy requires releasing MILLIONS of these special mosquitoes over remote mountain forests – but how do you deliver them to such rugged terrain?

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Enter the drones – each carrying up to 23 biodegradable pods containing 1,000 mosquitoes each, allowing precise delivery to areas helicopters struggle to reach.

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Male mosquitoes don't bite or spread disease – they're essentially flying plant-eaters that only feed on nectar and plant juices.

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Conservation teams have already released over 10 million of these special mosquitoes since November 2023, with the first drone deliveries beginning in April 2025.

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The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance maintains captive breeding facilities for the rarest birds, waiting for the day mosquito populations drop enough for safe reintroduction.

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Without this intervention, species like the Kiwikiu (with fewer than 150 birds left) could disappear forever, taking their vital roles as pollinators and seed dispersers with them.

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"We are the generation that can save honeycreepers," says Dr. Chris Farmer of American Bird Conservancy – but will this innovative drone-mosquito strategy work in time?

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