The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the City of Graz have announced  early results from a study using the sterile male Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, as part of an assessment for the potential future use of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – an environment-friendly pest control method that involves mass-rearing and radiation-based sterilization of insects – to curb rising populations of the invasive mosquito in Graz.

The Aedes albopictus (also called the Asian tiger mosquito) was first detected in Austria in 2012 and has since spread to all provinces of Austria. Graz experienced particularly high mosquito densities in the past years and in response to increasing nuisance reports, and rising arbovirus risk in Europe, the City of Graz requested the support of the IAEA, headquartered in Vienna, to initiate a Mark-Release-Recapture (MRR) study.