Why Google Wants To Release 32M Mosquitoes Across CA

Google is seeking federal approval to release 32 million mosquitoes in California, part of an experimental technique to eliminate the threat posed by the deadliest creature on the planet.

The tech giant's ambitious ask is part of its Debug Project, where scientists and engineers have been working to produce sterilized male mosquitoes, specifically the Aedes aegypti or 'ankle biter,' using a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia.

If the blood-sucking females mate with the sterile non-biting males released into the wild, the project would drastically curb the population.

The project piggybacks on pilot programs in counties such as Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties with one major difference. Vector control officials in those counties have tested the release of male mosquitoes sterilized via radiation, an expensive and labor intensive process. The Google experiment aims to achieve the same effect for much less.

Mosquitoes, considered the world’s deadliest creature, spread diseases like dengue, Zika and yellow fever. Many of the diseases mosquitoes carry can be difficult to treat or have no treatment at all, only ways to ease symptoms.

Ankle biters carry several diseases endemic in tropical regions. Most people get dengue by traveling to other countries where the disease is more prevalent and the ankle-biter mosquito thrives, which includes but is not limited to South Asia and the Caribbean, according to the CDC.

But over the last several years, they have become established in Southern California. Local transmission of dengue has occurred in California for the first time over the last two years thanks to the ankle-biter mosquito.

In 2025, there were seven locally acquired cases, including six in Los Angeles and 206 cases associated with travel, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District General Manager Susanne Kluh told Patch in 2025 that the rise of Dengue, in particular, is troubling.

"[Dengue] is going to be a problem; we’ve never seen that before. We want to combat the biting, but we’re mostly concerned about the disease risk," Kluh told Patch. "It’s very difficult to control these mosquitoes who can breed in something as little as a bottle cap."

The aggressive Aedes aegypti are not native to California.

But as they spread across the state, including in Northern California for the first time as of last year, vector control officials are trying aggressive methods to contain them.

"The quickest way to prevent this annoying and potentially dangerous mosquito species from becoming established is to act now," Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District General Manager Ryan Clausnitzer said in a statement. "We urge residents to grant yard access so we can ensure no one is accidentally breeding mosquitoes."

The ankle biter is responsible for the majority of dengue, Zika and yellow fever cases around the world, especially in urban environments.

The male mosquitoes don’t bite, which is how mosquitoes spread disease. Traditionally, sterile insect techniques have been used by pest control to protect crops and involve exposing the vector to radiation.

The Debug Project technique requires no chemicals or genetic modification.

The Debug Project launched a pilot program in Fresno in 2017, releasing a large number of Wolbachia-carrying male mosquitoes over 222 acres of residential neighborhoods. The project, according to the company’s website, suppressed the female mosquito population by up to 84% in 2019.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that dengue infection among residents in Singapore decreased when introducing the Wolbachia bacteria to the mosquito population. The trial was conducted between 2022 and 2024.

Google’s timeline for the release of the mosquitoes is also unclear. On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was expected to review the request.

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