This place isn’t dropping bombs or missiles from drones, it is releasing mosquitoes, reason will surprise you, it is…

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In a unique effort to save Hawaii’s native birds, drones dropped biodegradable pods filled with mosquitoes over the islands’ forests in June. But these weren’t normal mosquitoes — they were specially bred male mosquitoes that don’t bite. They carry a bacterium called Wolbachia which makes the eggs of wild female mosquitoes unable to hatch when they mate.

The goal is to reduce the number of invasive mosquitoes that are spreading avian malaria, a deadly disease for Hawaiian birds. This disease has been a major threat to rare native species like the Hawaiian honeycreepers — colorful birds that play a key role in pollination and seed dispersal.

According to experts, over 50 species of honeycreepers once lived in Hawaii. Now, only 17 remain, and most are endangered. The ‘akikiki is already functionally extinct in the wild, and fewer than 100 of the ‘akeke‘e are believed to survive.

Mosquitoes were not native to Hawaii and were likely introduced by whaling ships in the 1800s. Since then, they’ve caused waves of bird extinctions, as many native species have no immunity.

Originally, the birds escaped to cooler mountain areas where mosquitoes couldn’t survive. But due to climate change, temperatures are rising and mosquitoes are now reaching higher elevations, putting the remaining bird populations at risk.

To tackle this, conservationists turned to a method called the “incompatible insect technique” (IIT). By releasing large numbers of *Wolbachia*-infected male mosquitoes, they aim to stop wild females from reproducing.

This approach offers hope for saving Hawaii’s unique birds without using harmful pesticides, which could damage other important insect species in the ecosystem.

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