The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – an introduction

Authors: DUNN, DEREK - Northwest University; Follett, Peter

Submitted to: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/5/2017
Publication Date: 12/1/2017
Citation: Dunn, D., Follett, P.A. 2017. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) – an introduction. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 164:151-154.

Interpretive Summary: Eradication is the elimination of all individuals of a species from a geographic area where reinvasion is unlikely to occur. Researchers have attempted pest eradication using a variety of tactics including the sterile-insect technique (SIT), male annihilation, insecticides or insecticide-laced bait sprays, biological control, or combinations of these tactics. SIT has been the most widely used eradication strategy. This introduction reviews the 16 papers to be published in Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata in a special issue on SIT, which cover programs that are either currently well-established or still at an early stage of implementation.

Technical Abstract: Environmental concerns have been a significant motivator in the development of alternative methods to the sole use of chemicals for controlling or even eradicating insect pests. Eradication is the elimination of all individuals of a species from a geographic area where reinvasion is unlikely to occur. Researchers have attempted pest eradication using a variety of tactics including the sterile-insect technique (SIT), male annihilation, insecticides or insecticide-laced bait sprays, biological control, or combinations of these tactics. SIT has been the most widely used eradication strategy. Sterile males are released in large numbers into the field where they mate with wild females, thus interfering with reproduction and leading to population decline. The assumptions underlying a successful SIT eradication program are that (1) the insects can be reared and sterilized in large numbers; (2) sterile insects can be distributed so that they mix thoroughly with the wild population; (3) sterile insects compete successfully for mates; (4) the release ratio is sufficiently large to overcome the natural rate of population increase, so that the trend in population size is downward after the first release; and (5) the target population is closed – there is no immigration of fertile insects from outside the release area. SIT may be applied over a large area or, in the case of new pest invasions, in a localized and focused area. This introduction reviews the 16 papers to be published in Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata in a special issue on SIT, which cover programs that are either currently well-established or still at an early stage of implementation. Foundational information for SIT programs hs gone far beyond understanding the basic biology, ecology, and behavior of the target species, and have now progressed to include molecular mechanisms and genetic modification of traits desired to enhance the efficacy of SIT. We can thus expect to see more SIT programs being implemented, that integrate multiple features of the biology of the target species.