In 1997, University of Florida spent 10 years developing a mosquito “diet pill.” Today, larvae fed the hormone-treated algae starve within 72 hours, offering an eco-friendly way to fight disease-carrying pests

A University of Florida scientist developed a mosquito "diet pill" using a digestive hormone. This hormone is delivered through algae, which mosquito larvae consume and then cannot digest food. Mosquitoes ingesting the treated algae die within seventy-two hours from starvation. The synthesized hormone and algae are inexpensive and fade from the environment naturally.