Italy Tests New Tech to Control Tiger Mosquito Populations

In Italy, researchers at ENEA, in collaboration with Google and Sapienza University of Rome, conducted a large-scale trial of a new mosquito control platform at the ENEA Casaccia Research Center in Rome. The platform uses the Incompatible Insect Technique (IIT) to reduce the reproductive rate of the Aedes albopictus mosquito, also known as the tiger mosquito.

The IIT relies on Wolbachia, a naturally occurring bacterium, to sterilize eggs when incompatible male mosquitoes mate with wild females. The trial released approximately 1.6 million incompatible male mosquitoes over 53 hectares between late July and late October 2025.

Monitoring showed the treated area exceeded a threshold of 100 eggs per trap, a level of concern for virus transmission, in only 2 out of 16 samples, compared to 12 out of 16 in a control area. This approach offers an alternative to chemical insecticides and is considered safe by the World Health Organization. Researchers hope this technique will provide a more sustainable way to manage mosquito populations and prevent the spread of diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, which are increasingly present in Europe due to climate change.