Chapter 243 - Sterile Insect Technique

Abstract

This chapter describes sterile insect techniques (SIT). It is a biologically based method for the control of key insect pests. Wild female insects inseminated by released, radiation-sterilized males do not reproduce, and repeated releases of the sterilized insects lead to a reduction in pest population numbers. Effective control using sterile insects is achieved when they are used systematically as part of area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs. SIT is species-specific, nonpolluting, and resistance-free. Since the original concept was developed in the United States in the 1940s, SIT has been used successfully for screwworm flies, tsetse flies, fruit flies, and moths. Technical progress in behavioral ecology, mass rearing, strain improvement, global information, positioning and monitoring systems, and aerial release, combined with economies of scale and a growing demand for pest-free and low-pesticide agricultural products in local and international trade, have increased the use of SIT in AW-IPM programs. These programs, by decreasing insecticide use, have also facilitated the use of biological control agents against secondary insect pests.