Abstract: The mosquito Aedes aegypti is an invasive species in North and South America. This mosquito is an important global vector of the viruses that cause dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya. This species feeds almost exclusively on humans and feeds and oviposits close to human habitations, especially in cryptic natural and artificial containers. Throughout its range, Aedes aegypti populations are resistant to pyrethroids, the class of insecticides most commonly used to control adult mosquitoes. For these reasons, Aedes aegypti is a difficult mosquito to control by traditional larviciding, adulticiding, and larval site disruption. We will discuss former and ongoing projects that assess a self-limiting gene approach to control this invasive species in Brazil and the Florida Keys. Our projects have assessed the flight radius of our male mosquitoes, their mating success with local female Ae. aegypti, oviposition behavior of mated females, and the persistence of the transgene during and following male release.
