"U.S. Army's Mosquito Research: Battling the Bites"

The U.S. Army's Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) operates an insectary where researchers breed mosquitoes for studying disease transmission and developing vaccines. The facility rears six mosquito species, including those responsible for malaria and Zika. Female mosquitoes, which require a blood meal to lay eggs, are attracted using heat sources, and donated human blood infected with malaria is used to test vaccines. The insectary also raises sand flies, which can transmit diseases like Leishmaniasis. With the expansion of tropical diseases due to global warming, WRAIR is preparing to study ticks as well.