Dozens of biodegradable pods dropped from the sky over Hawaii’s woods in June. Each drone-delivered one has roughly 1,000 insects in it.

They were lab-raised male mosquitoes that were non-biting and carrying a common bacteria that causes the eggs of the males to mate with wild females and not develop. It is hoped that they would aid in the management of the invasive mosquito population throughout the archipelago, which is causing native bird populations, including the endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers, to decline. Continues…