Bite me if you can

Unlike their female counterparts, these male mosquitoes from the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti variety - which have been artificially infected with the Wolbachia bacteria - do not bite humans. About 3,000 of such mosquitoes were released in Braddell
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Unlike their female counterparts, these male mosquitoes from the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti variety - which have been artificially infected with the Wolbachia bacteria - do not bite humans.

About 3,000 of such mosquitoes were released in Braddell Heights yesterday morning as part of a field study to see how they might help to bring the mosquito population down.

When these males mate with uninfected females, the resulting eggs will not hatch. Traps have been placed in public locations and on residential premises around the estate to recapture the mosquitoes and determine how far they have flown from the release point in Jalan Sukachita.

SEE TOP OF THE NEWS

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 19, 2016, with the headline Bite me if you can. Subscribe