Tech Giant Lobbies To Unleash 32 Million Mosquitos Into America

Google is seeking federal approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to release 32 million “good” mosquitoes across California and Florida.

The public health program, titled “Debug Project,” was created by Google’s parent company Alphabet a decade ago. It plans to release male mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia into the two states to mate with wild females without producing offspring, hindering the spread of the numerous deadly diseases the insect can carry and transmit to humans.

Wolbachia is a parasitic bacterium that disrupts reproduction: males carrying it mate with wild females, leaving them unable to produce viable offspring. It is completely harmless to humans as well, as it is already naturally occurring in many other insects. 

“This technique uses a naturally occurring bacteria and uses no chemicals, no toxins and doesn’t involve genetic modification,” Google stated on the website dedicated to the project. “Similar approaches have been used to safely combat other pests for decades.”

The surplus of mosquitoes will not cause any more bug bites, as only females bite humans, possibly infecting them with West Nile, Zika, and yellow fever every year. The “good bugs,” as Google refers to them, would prevent the world’s deadliest disease vector from infecting millions and killing between 500,000 and 1 million individuals every year — by preventing the “bad bugs” from being born altogether.

If passed, the Debug Project would unfold in two parts. The first year of the plan aims to release 16 million “good bugs” into Florida, with the remaining mosquitoes released in California the following year, in what is described as the Sterile Insect Technique. This avoids spraying pesticides statewide or altering the insect’s DNA, both of which have proven unsuccessful in stopping the spread of disease.

“Attacking mosquitoes with pesticides is unsustainable because they’re becoming less effective over time and can be toxic,” Google explains on the Debug Project homepage. “We need a new approach.”

A decision on this project will not be made by the EPA until after the public comment period ends on June 5, 2026.