Trump wants to cut DC's mosquito population by 90%. Here's how - USA Today
Washington DC could be seeing — and swatting — a lot fewer mosquitoes.
President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to develop a plan to reduce invasive mosquito populations across DC by 90% by 2028.
The order specifically targets Asian tiger mosquitoes, Egyptian mosquitoes and other invasive species.
But the federal government isn't starting from scratch. Some of the mosquito-control technologies mentioned in the order are already being used in the DC area.
So how does the administration plan to tackle the problem? Here's what to know.
The order calls for agencies to tackle mosquito breeding grounds on federal land, including through landscaping and drainage improvements such as mowing and rain gardens.
It also calls for natural and targeted controls, along with efforts to control rodents and deer that can help spread tick-borne diseases.
And one of the more unusual strategies could involve releasing more mosquitoes.
The order calls for the use of sterile-insect techniques, which involve releasing male mosquitoes that can't produce viable offspring. The goal is to reduce the number of mosquitoes in future generations.
That basic idea is already being tested in the DC area, although the local program uses Wolbachia bacteria rather than traditional sterilization.
A Silver Spring, Maryland, company released about 600,000 male mosquitoes across 25 properties in DC and Maryland this summer.
The mosquitoes are infected with naturally occurring Wolbachia bacteria. The males don't bite people, and when they mate with females that don't carry the same bacteria, the resulting eggs don't hatch.
That can help reduce the mosquito population over time, but the local program is separate from the federal government's new effort.
The federal agencies involved have 60 days to develop and implement the DC campaign.
The order also directs the EPA to develop a regulatory framework for newer mosquito-control technologies, including sterilization, genetic modification and the use of beneficial bacteria.
