Male mosquitoes possess a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia. It acts like birth control effectively stopping females from reproducing.

Honeycreepers, colorful and adorable, a subfamily of fiches, made their way to Hawaii with their remarkable beaks over 7.2 million years ago. Paradisal conditions enabled these rare birds to flourish and multiply into over 50 species. They are one of the most emblematic birds of Hawaii whose feathers remain a symbol of the state, found on crafts and garments. Now, only 17 remain.

European and American ships brought malaria-carrying mosquitoes over to Hawaii in the 1800s. As they developed no immunity to the disease, these works of art produced by nature can die after a single bite. They are currently under threat of extinction, and habitat destruction didn’t help either.

As plant pollinators and insect population controllers, honeycreepers play a vital role in the ecosystem and local communities. They are necessary for the whole to thrive. And the honeycreeper did indeed thrive across the islands only now, they had to flee into the forests to high elevations where the mosquitoes do not venture for it is too cold. As temperatures increase, however, mosquitoes fly upward toward the honeycreepers.

17 species of honeycreepers on the brink of extinction

The loss of 40+ species devastating and de-extinction closer to sci-fi than reality, the remaining populations of honeycreepers are rapidly disappearing. Some predict that some could be extinct within a year if no action is taken.

“The population of one honeycreeper, the Kaua’i creeper, or ‘akikiki, has dropped from 450 in 2018 to five in 2023, with just one single bird known to be left in the wild on Kaua’i island, according to the National Park Service.

Hawaii is taking action and fast to save the 17 honeycreepers sequestered to high elevations at the risk of imminent death. The US National Park Service, the state of Hawaii, and the Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project have formed a coalition to save the birds: Birds, Not mosquitoes.

The solution: fight the parasite with bacteria. Send in male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia.

Male mosquitoes possess a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia. It acts like birth control effectively stopping females from reproducing, a technique known as incompatible insect technique. It refers to a reproductive incompatibility between insects. If a male mosquito with Wolbachia mates with an uncontaminated female mosquitoes, her eggs won’t hatch.

Currently, helicopters are releasing 250,000 mosquitoes a week onto the scene as covered in Slashdot . Ten million have already been deployed in an aggressive effort to save honeycreepers from extinction.

Can incompatible insect technique save the honeycreepers?

Originally developed in the 1930s, the incompatible insect technique saw widespread use in the 1950s. It successfully controlled populations in China and Mexico. Thus, hopefully, the technique will stop the insect and help save this rare species of birds. Birds, Not Mosquitoes points out, we have a shared responsibility to protect the ancient species. We do not want to lose them.

“The only thing that’s more tragic is if [the birds] went extinct and we didn’t try. You can’t not try,” Chris Warren from Birds, Not Mosquitoes said.

Birds, not Mosquitoes will be releasing a film about the honeycreepers this year.

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