The use of the sterile insect technique for the control or eradication of tsetse flies is progressing towards the first large scale programmes on mainland Africa. To enable these programmes, the rearing of tsetse flies has to be much expanded and with the expansion, issues of quality control become more important. This publication provides an analysis of several aspects of quality in tsetse fly production and expands or enhances many of the current quality control procedures.

This report is aimed at private sector involvement in the production phase of sterile insects for use in pest control. It is a guideline or tool to support the development of more specific business plans that will need to be prepared on a case by case basis, taking into account the species to be reared and the location of the facility. It provides the international perspective on a number of issues of importance for a sterile insect production facility. While some of the points raised will be well known by everybody working in the sector and are included to inform potential investors, other findings present new challenges to production facility managers, whether in private industry or government organizations.

This publication contains the most important results of an IAEA Coordinated Research Project (CRP). Through this and three previous CRPs on fruit fly trapping technology and bait stations, significant progress has been made in the optimization of current trapping systems and on developing female biased attractants for surveillance of some of the major fruit fly pests. Furthermore, a solid basis for continuing the development of bait stations has been established.

This study was funded by the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. It presents an economic model and the methods selected for the evaluation of environmental benefits of the Mediterranean fruit fly sterile insect technique (SIT) in Madeira (Madeira-Med). It quantifies the key costs and benefits of Madeira-Med to carry out an economic analysis to assess the economic returns of SIT use in Madeira, including the benefits obtained from environmental savings. Recent cost–benefit analyses for proposed insect pest eradication or suppression programmes have included some environmental factors; however, a systematic valuation of these factors, as developed in this study, had not been carried out in previous analyses.

Alien invasive insect pests are increasingly threatening agriculture and the environment. In the context of rapidly growing international travel and trade, the potential for moving dangerous pest species to new geographical regions and locations has been increasing. One such species is the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Pyralidae). As a result of worldwide increases in opuntia cultivation and increased reliance on opuntia as a source of food, and on income from its products, the invasion by C. cactorum has a potential impact on thousands of subsistence farmers. Furthermore, C. cactorum is considered a serious threat to the high diversity of opuntia species in North America. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is the ideal tool to complement efforts to eliminate beachheads of alien insect invasions. An increased role is foreseen for the use of SIT in suppression of alien invasive species, which will help FAO and IAEA Member States deal with the threat of outbreaks of such pests.