Blood-sucking monsters are real.
If you’re living in California, you must already know that it is buzzing with ankle-biting mosquitoes. But did you know that the U.S. has authorized the release of 2.4 billion genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes? The experiment is planned to stop the spread of the Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito), an aggressive species that causes dengue, chikungunya, and zika.
The Aedes aegypti is a non-native species that has increased its population in California after it was detected in the state in 2011. Now, these genetically modified “males” will control the spread by preventing female offspring (which usually bite) from surviving into adulthood.
Mosquitoes thrive in warm temperatures, but they have spread to other countries with globalization (mainly with moving goods). With climate change, scientists fear that mosquitoes will breed more and assault people in places where they didn’t before. Hence, experiments to control the spread of these bugs and the diseases they spread.
Related: Climate Change Brings New Danger to Travelers in These Parts of the U.S.
There are many cities in the U.S. that are currently dealing with these pesky nuisances. Pest control company Orkin released a study of the top mosquito cities in the country, and guess who topped it? Los Angeles. The City of Angels is also the city of mosquitoes for the second time in a row! There are some cities that are new entrants to this sad top 50: Columbus, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Champaign, Flint, Portland, Greensboro, Louisville, Myrtle Beach, Hartford, and Waco.
Before you head to the listed cities, read this CDC guide on mosquito protection.
Your writers have to be smoking the California Reefer to claim that Los Angeles has more mosquitos than Atlanta, Miami, Savannah, New Orleans, Baton Rouge or basically anywhere in the South or the Midwest in the Summer. Dc in the summer is also full og blood suckers. Puerto Rico is also part of the USA. Though it it is true LA has seen an influx of mosquitos during the Pandemic, the stealth attackers typically only bite drunk people and high-sugar ingesters like Juicers and Detoxers.