Larnaca, Cyprus. A rise in mosquito complaints during the recent heatwave has raised questions about Cyprus’ pilot programme to reduce an invasive mosquito population through the release of sterile males.
Health services deputy head Herodotos Herodotou said the increase in mosquito activity was mainly linked to recent rainfall that created additional breeding conditions, followed by rising temperatures.
Weather conditions
Speaking to Sigma on Thursday, Herodotou said mosquito activity was expected to decline when temperatures reach 40 degrees.
He said the current increase did not indicate a failure of the sterilisation programme.
Pilot programme
The pilot programme began in the Kiti area of Larnaca and uses the Sterile Insect Technique, a biological method involving the sterilisation and release of male mosquitoes.
Sterile males mate with wild female mosquitoes, producing eggs that do not hatch and gradually reducing the population of the species.
Production and training
Herodotou said the programme had shown positive results during its pilot phase, with Cyprus developing expertise through cooperation with laboratories abroad.
During the initial implementation, two health service officers travelled to Austria for training in mosquito breeding and sterilisation techniques.
Sterile male mosquitoes are produced from local wild populations, transported to specialised facilities where males are separated from females, and sterilised using ionising radiation before being released.
Authorities previously said that around 100,000 sterile mosquitoes were being received each week under the programme.
Male mosquitoes
Only male mosquitoes are released under the method. Male mosquitoes do not bite humans and cannot spread diseases.
