Word: aegypti
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...predator mosquito that has raised the hopes of USDA scientists is a creature with the formidable name of Toxorhynchites rutilus rutilus. During its larval stage in stagnant water, the mosquito feeds on the larvae of more common, biting and disease-carrying cousins, like the Aedes aegypti, which also breeds in pools and water-filled containers. Although the Tx. rutilus is found from Florida to Canada and as far west as Texas, it is not very prolific by insect standards and does not exist naturally in numbers large enough to control the population of other mosquitoes. That deficiency presents no problem...
...hectare (100-acre) sites, one as a control and one for experimentation. During this summer, he will release in the test area about 1,000 female Toxorhynchites, which will lay eggs that hatch into predatory larvae. Because the New Orleans mosquito control board has kept records on the Aedes aegypti for four years, any significant decrease in its numbers will be apparent. "We know the Toxorhynchites will be effective," declares Focks, "and the cost could be only pennies per acre...