Radiation Sterilization of Aedes aegypti in Nitrogen and Implications for Sterile Male Technique

Abstract

ONE of the problems that often arise with mosquitoes and other insects when radiation-induced dominant lethality (sterile-male technique) is used is that sterilized males cannot compete with untreated native males for matings with females. It is generally believed that the field trials of releases of radiation-sterilized males of Aedes aegypti in the United States were unsuccessful because radiation impaired vigour and competitive mating ability of released males¹. In the case of Aedes aegypti, these conclusions were experimentally confirmed by Weidhaas and Schmidt². Adults emerged from male pupae irradiated at 8,000 and 10,000 r inseminated only 4 and 0% of the females respectively when released into laboratory populations at a ratio of four treated males to one untreated.