Mosquitoes
The State of Hawaii and its multi-agency partnership Birds, Not Mosquitoes plan to release up to 775,992,000 bacteria-infected mosquitoes per week on Maui. This project would continue for at least 20 years.
These BioPesticide Lab-Altered Mosquitoes are already being released in East Maui.
Hawaii Unites has taken the state to court to stop this. Please donate to help us as we continue to move our legal case forward.
Hawai’i Unites v. BLNR/DLNR: Hearing to Stop Lab-Altered Mosquitoes on Maui 7/21/23
Hawai’i Unites and Tina Lia v. Board of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai’i, and Department of Land and Natural Resources, State of Hawai’i: Day one of our hearing on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction to stop the release of millions of bacteria-infected mosquitoes on sacred lands of Maui, Hawai’i. Plaintiff Tina Lia, founder of the environmental nonprofit Hawai’i Unites, testifies. Tropical disease and vector expert Dr. Lorrin Pang, expert witness for the Plaintiffs, also testifies on the potential significant impacts of this project and the lack of study of the risks to the health of the people, wildlife, and ‘āina.
Children’s Health Defense: ‘Ground Zero’ Lab-Altered Mosquito Release (2/14/24)
Hawaii Unites’ Tina Lia talks with Michael Nevradakis, PhD on CHD’s The Defender In-Depth about the mosquito release experiment in Hawaii and our David and Goliath battle in court
Hawaii Unites Founder Tina Lia Speaks at Iao Theater on Maui 7/11/23
Tina Lia, founder of the environmental nonprofit Hawaii Unites, gives an overview and update on the State of Hawaii and its multi-agency partnership’s release of billions of lab-infected mosquitoes. All islands are being targeted with this corporate experiment.
The State DLNR has been funded to build out the insectary in their Hawaii lab where they intend to mass produce Wolbachia-infected and genetically modified pgSIT CRISPR technology mosquitoes for release on the islands. Plans are to continue the mosquito production and release project in “perpetuity” (forever).
Help us protect the ‘āina and stop this project that may cause the extinction of endangered native birds and could affect public health. Mosquitoes are already being released on Maui. We’re challenging this in court. Your tax-deductible donation helps us move our legal case forward.
Hidden Agenda: Hawai‘i’s Secret Mosquito Lab
DLNR to Mass Produce Lab-Altered Mosquitoes
Hawaii Unites has filed a case against the BLNR and DLNR for failing to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the BioPesticide Mosquito Experiment. We’ve also filed a TRO and Preliminary Injunction seeking to stop the release of mosquitoes in East Maui.
Hawaii Unites is speaking up to protect the ‘āina. Read the full lawsuit here:
TRO and preliminary injunction filed:
Plaintiffs’ Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction (6/20/23)
We stand united in our love for these islands and our respect for the spiritual connection of the lands and the native birds.
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Sign the Petition:
Demand an Environmental Impact Statement
for the Experimental Mosquito Release on Maui
Read the Final Environmental Assessment:
Suppression of Invasive Mosquito Populations to Reduce Transmission of Avian Malaria to Threatened and Endangered Forest Birds on East Maui (3/24/23)
On March 24, 2023, the State of Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) voted unanimously to approve the Final Environmental Assessment for the BioPesticide Mosquito Experiment on Maui and to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). Hawaii Unites, per HAR §13-1-29, requested a contested case hearing prior to the board action. The board infringed on the public’s right to open governmental processes, and our request for a contested case hearing was denied. We’ve requested an investigation by the Office of Information Practices (OIP) into the BLNR for their violation of the Sunshine Law HRS §92-7.
Hawaii Unites submitted a complaint to the State of Hawaii Office of the Ombudsman. We requested an investigation into the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) for interference with the public’s ability to testify at the March 10, 2023 meeting.
Read the Complaint Submitted by Hawaii Unites to the Office of the Ombudsman 3/13/23
Watch the Eight-Hour BLNR Meeting 3/10/23
(Agenda Item C2 Mosquitoes starts at 6:58:57)
(Hawaii Unites testimony starts at 7:53:56)
Read All of the Written Testimony Submitted for the Meeting
Read the Office of the Ombudsman’s Response to our Complaint 9/5/23
Read the Office of the Ombudsman’s Response to our Complaint 3/1/24
The Office of the Ombudsman found that the BLNR did not provide us the correct link to livestream its meeting on March 10, 2023, and that the BLNR did not provide us the correct telephone number to provide testimony by telephone at its meeting on March 10, 2023; but found that the BLNR was not acting unlawfully by rearranging the mosquito agenda item to the end of the meeting and making testifiers wait through the entire eight-hour meeting to testify with no notification of when the agenda item would be discussed.
The Office of the Ombudsman did not address our complaint that the BLNR was heard joking and laughing about the postponement of the mosquito agenda item we were testifying on.
The Tenpenny Files, On Your Health: Dr. Sherri Tenpenny ft. Tina Lia & Lorrin Pang (5/15/23)
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny talks with Dr. Lorrin Pang and Hawaii Unites’ Tina Lia about biopesticide mosquitoes planned for release on Maui
Scott Adam’s Liberty Arise! 5/12/23 Maui Mosquito Agenda Continues with Dr. Lorrin Pang, Tina Lia, Barry O’Keefe
Scott talks with tropical disease expert Dr. Lorrin Pang, retired scientist from the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs Barry O’Keefe, and Hawaii Unites’ Tina Lia about the planned biopesticide mosquito experiment on Maui
KKCR Kauai Community Radio: Out of the Box – Interview with Dr. Lorrin Pang 1/26/23
Scott Adam’s Liberty Arise! 1/13/23 Dr. Lorrin Pang and Tina Lia – Experimental Mosquito Release on Maui
Tropical disease and vector expert Dr. Lorrin Pang talks with Scott Adam and Tina Lia about risks of the state’s planned biopesticide mosquito release experiment. He also explains more about conflicts of interest.
BioPesticide mosquitoes for this project originate from Palmyra Atoll. Wolbachia bacteria for the project originates from Kuala Lumpur.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has applied for an EPA Emergency Exemption for use of this biopesticide, proposing “a new use of a microbial pesticide which has not been registered by EPA.”
HDOA EPA Application for Emergency Exemption
Hawaiian Honeycreepers Targeted by this Project:
- Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill, Pseudonestor xanthophrys): Endangered
- ʻĀkohekohe (Crested Honeycreeper, Palmeria dolei): Endangered
- ʻIʻiwi (Scarlet Honeycreeper, Drepanis coccinea): Threatened
- Maui ʻAlauahio (Maui Creeper, Paroreomyza montana newtoni): Threatened; only lives on Maui
- Hawaiʻi ʻAmakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens)
- ʻApapane (Himatione sanguinea)
Mosquito Species Planned for Import into Hawaii and Some of the Diseases they Transmit:
- The Southern House Mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) transmits avian malaria parasitic disease to birds and West Nile virus to both birds and humans. It transmits elephantiasis, St. Louis encephalitis, and Western equine encephalitis to humans, and is a potential vector of Zika virus. It also transmits avian pox and heartworm.
- The Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus) transmits dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus to humans.
- The Yellow Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti) transmits dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika virus, and yellow fever to humans
On 6/28/22, The Hawaii Board of Agriculture approved the addition of all three mosquito species to the List of Restricted Animals, Part A: for Research and Exhibition. Partners in this project are speaking openly about the State of Hawaii’s plans to target human health using Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. According to the Maui Environmental Assessment, approvals are already in place for ground release of lab-reared mosquitoes using cars, trucks, or ATVs to control mosquitoes of public health concern.
Federal documents for this project reveal that plans for the state include lab research and development in Hawaii, gene drives, next generation tools, synthetic biology control tools, novel technology deployment, and precision-guided Sterile Insect Technique (pgSIT) (CRISPR technology). Genetic Modification of Forest Birds using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing is discussed in the EA. While “technology for this approach is not available for near-term implementation,” development and deployment of this “tool” does appear to be a goal at the federal level. One of the labs that the state would be importing the biopesticide mosquitoes from, Verily Life Sciences, is a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google). Read more here:
U.S. Department of the Interior Strategy for Preventing the Extinction of Hawaiian Forest Birds
Two of the authors of the following article, Atkinson and LaPointe, are with the USGS in Hawaii. USGS is a partner in Birds, Not Mosquitoes – the multi-agency partnership planning the biopesticide mosquito experiment on Maui.
This article is promoting “facilitated adaptation” of ‘i’iwi honeycreepers. Facilitated adaptation means genetically modifying the birds to be resistant to malaria using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and releasing them into the wild: