SFGATE.com reported October 26, 2023 that sterile male fruit flies will be released by airplane over 69 square miles of Los Angeles including Park Mesa Heights because two invasive wild Mediterranean Fruit Flies were discovered near Leimert Park.
“Though it sounds alarming, this method has been used to eradicate invasive insects for decades and has previously helped thwart other pests like the Mexican fruit fly and pink bollworm moth. According to Van Rein, this Preventative Release Program, or PRP, is essentially a form of biological birth control that’s been in use since 1996. “Matings between these sterile males and any wild female flies result in the production of infertile eggs,” he explained. ”
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