A new conservation strategy in Hawaii is using drones to release specially bred non-biting male mosquitoes in an effort to save the state’s endangered native birds. The drones, each carrying around 1,000 of the insects, have been flying over remote forest areas where native honeycreepers are struggling to survive due to avian malaria spread by invasive mosquito populations.
These released mosquitoes carry a naturally occurring bacterium known as Wolbachia. When they mate with wild females, the resulting eggs fail to hatch. By flooding the environment with these males, scientists aim to dramatically reduce mosquito numbers over time.
Hawaii once had more than 50 honeycreeper species, but only 17 remain today, and most are endangered. While deforestation has reduced their habitat, researchers say the biggest immediate threat is mosquito-borne disease. According to Dr Chris Farmer, the Hawaii program director for the American Bird Conservancy, the goal is to release large numbers of Wolbachia-carrying mosquitoes so they outcompete wild males.
He said the team is currently releasing about 500,000 mosquitoes per week on both Maui and Kauai. It could take around a year to know how effective the effort is, but conservation groups hope the decline in mosquito numbers will allow bird populations time to recover. Farmer cautioned that while this method may be suitable for Hawaii, removing mosquitoes in places where they play a natural ecological role could be harmful.
Releasing mosquitoes in Hawaii’s rugged landscapes has long been a challenge. The steep, forested mountains and rapidly changing weather previously required helicopters for distribution, making the work expensive and often delayed. The new drone delivery system, tested extensively to ensure safe temperature control for the insects, has made releases safer, cheaper and more consistent. Drone drops began in June after months of development.
Researchers say this approach could become a global model for protecting endangered species threatened by invasive mosquitoes, but they stress that success depends on careful ecological monitoring and long-term commitment.