The GMO mosquito experiment has been going on for years now, and culminated in the release of the lab-created insects in Florida recently.
The insects were funded by a $4.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but activists have questioned the possible health and environmental effects that may result.
Oxitec, the British company that created the mosquitoes, insists the mosquitoes are safe. Florida residents have previously said they’ve been tricked into allowing workers onto their property to release the experimental insects, adding to the controversy surrounding them.
Oxitec Withdraws California Application
On May 17, 2023, the website Beyond Pesticides shared a press release updating Oxitec’s attempted conquest of California.
After months of trying to break into California, Oxitec announced it is withdrawing its application to release billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California, according to an update from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.