Mosquitos aren’t just annoying—they’re the most dangerous animal on Earth, killing over a million people every year. As traditional chemical sprays become less efficient in killing the organism, scientists are scrambling to find ways to control the spread of deadly mosquito-borne diseases. In a study published in Insects, scientists from The Ohio State University found that hemp might be the solution.
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The scientists extracted the active ingredient CBD from hemp leaves and added the concentrate to water containing yellow fever mosquito larvae. The water contained two strains of the larvae: one that was insecticide-resistant and one that was not. In the end, every larva exposed to the CBD died within 48 hours.
Erick Martinez Rodriguez, the lead author of the study, said, “It’s very important to be able to control these pests at an early stage, when they are at the most vulnerable.”
Due to the overuse of traditional synthetic insecticides, larvae have developed resistance to the once-effective methods. The CBD, on the other hand, was able to bypass all the larvae’s previously built genetic defenses and kill them efficiently and with 100 percent success.
Martinez Rodriguez believes that this finding will allow for new insecticide products to be made relatively cheaply. Hemp is a fairly sustainable crop, and there’s potential for growers around the country to benefit from contributing to the supply chain if CBD is widely adopted for insecticide purposes.
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CBD has become known for its wellness properties among humans, but mosquitoes lack the endocannabinoid receptors that give the substance its pain-relieving reputation. Scientists are interested in exploring how the substance affects other organisms before moving forward with CBD-based mosquito repellents so as not to disrupt already vulnerable animal populations like honey bees.
With the help of hemp, hopefully, we’re inching closer to a world where mosquitoes don’t pose such an imminent threat to so many humans across the globe. Many hemp growers might soon find themselves integral in the fight against deadly mosquito-borne illness.