Lab-raised mosquitoes dropped by drones to protect Hawaii’s native bird species

Hawaii turns to lab-grown mosquitoes and drones in a race to stop the extinction of its iconic honeycreeper birds.

In a high-tech conservation effort, drones have dropped biodegradable pods carrying lab-reared male mosquitoes over Hawaii’s forests in a bid to save native birds from extinction. Each pod contains about 1,000 non-biting males infected with a bacterium that renders wild mosquito eggs infertile.

The goal is to combat avian malaria, a deadly disease spread by invasive mosquitoes that has devastated populations of Hawaiian honeycreepers, many of which are now critically endangered. Once numbering over 50 species, only 17 honeycreepers remain. Some, like the ‘akikiki, are already functionally extinct in the wild.

Climate change is compounding the crisis by pushing mosquitoes into higher elevations, where native birds once found refuge. Conservationists warn that without intervention, Hawaii’s unique birdlife could vanish entirely.

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