In a context of increasing use and transboundary shipment of sterile insects, this updated FAO/IAEA guideline provides a compilation of the processes currently used in most of the fruit fly Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) applications world-wide.

There has been little harmonisation of the processes involved in the handling and release of sterile insects after production in mass rearing facilities. There are no standard guidelines available to transfer this technology to FAO or IAEA member countries that want to embark on sterile insect technique (SIT) activities. There is also increased interest by the private sector in investing in sterile insect production and/or other SIT activities, and these harmonized guidelines on the post-production phase will facilitate SIT application and foster the commercialization of the SIT.This guideline resulted from two FAO/IAEA consultants' meetings with representatives of relevant SIT programmes, the first held in Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (April 2004) and the second in Vienna, Austria (August 2005). It has identified a number of gaps in knowledge as well as procedures that are often based on conventional wisdom but which need scientific verification or optimization.

"This guideline is an updated version of the one published in 2007. It is aimed at providing harmonized processes involved in the handling and release of sterile insects after production in mass rearing facilities to FAO or International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member countries that want to embark on sterile insect technique (SIT) activities. There is also increased interest by the private sector in investing in sterile insect production and/or other SIT activities, and these harmonized guidelines on the post-production phase will facilitate SIT application and foster the commercialization of the SIT. This guideline resulted from two FAO/IAEA consultants' meetings with representatives of relevant SIT programmes, the first held in Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (April 2004) and the second in Vienna, Austria (August 2005). It also resulted from an in depth review of the first edition, conducted in 2014 and 2015 by SIT program managers and scientists working with SIT technology."--Publisher's description.

Throughout Asia, Australia and the Pacific, and increasingly in Africa, the primary horticultural insect pests are fruit flies belonging to the genera Bactrocera, Zeugodacus and Dacus (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacini). The Dacini is a hugely diverse clade of nearly 900 species endemic to the rainforests of Asia, Australia and the western Pacific, and the savannas and woodlands of Africa. All these species lay their eggs into fleshy fruits and vegetables, where the maggots feed, therefore destroying the fruit. In addition to being crop pests, dacines are also invasive pests of major quarantine importance and their presence in production areas can significantly impact market access opportunities. This broad text provides a rapid introduction to this economically and ecologically important group, which includes species such as the Oriental fruit fly (B. dorsalis), Melon fly (Z. cucurbitae), Queensland fruit fly (B. tryoni) and the Olive fly (B. oleae). Broken into three primary sections, it first explores the evolutionary history, systematic relationships, taxonomy and species-level diagnosis of the Dacini flies. The following biology section covers their life history, population demography, behaviour and ecology, and natural enemies. The final section of the book covers the management of these flies, with chapters on pre-harvest, post-harvest and regulatory controls. Each chapter concludes with a list of key monographs, papers or book chapters for further reading. This book will be of interest to field entomologists, extension officers, quarantine officers and market access negotiators, as well as students of applied entomology and pest management.

The purpose of the Guide is to support national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) who wish to establish and maintain pest free areas (PFA) including places and/or production sites (PFPP and PFPS) as well as areas of low pest prevalence (ALPP). To facilitate an understanding of the processes to establish and maintain PFAs and ALPPs, a diagram in the form of a decision tree was constructed that identifies and outlines five general phases of programme development as follows: initiation, feasibility, establishment, maintenance, and market access phases. The guide is then divided into corresponding sections that describe what the key elements of each phase are, why these elements are important, what some of the common challenges and pitfalls are, and factors that may influence the success of the different phases such as budget stability, public outreach, availability of good survey and control tools, and open engagement with stakeholders and trading partners. By providing a deeper understanding of the factors that should be considered when establishing a PFA, PFPP, PFPS or ALPP the guide aims to overcome the challenges and maximize the impact of these efforts to the benefit of all parties. The guide concludes by providing a number of case studies from around the world that highlight successful PFA and ALPP programmes and how they deal with particular key issues. This guide contains current experience and the most advanced phytosanitary procedures in the implementation of PFA and ALPP, however, it is subjected to revision and updates as new developments are made available.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly method of pest control that integrates well into area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes. This book takes a generic, thematic, comprehensive, and global approach in describing the principles and practice of the SIT. The strengths and weaknesses, and successes and failures, of the SIT are evaluated openly and fairly from a scientific perspective. The SIT is applicable to some major pests of plant-, animal-, and human-health importance, and criteria are provided to guide in the selection of pests appropriate for the SIT. In the second edition, all aspects of the SIT have been updated and the content considerably expanded. A great variety of subjects is covered, from the history of the SIT to improved prospects for its future application. The major chapters discuss the principles and technical components of applying sterile insects. The four main strategic options in using the SIT — suppression, containment, prevention, and eradication — with examples of each option are described in detail. Other chapters deal with supportive technologies, economic, environmental, and management considerations, and the socio-economic impact of AW-IPM programmes that integrate the SIT. In addition, this second edition includes six new chapters covering the latest developments in the technology: managing pathogens in insect mass-rearing, using symbionts and modern molecular technologies in support of the SIT, applying post-factory nutritional, hormonal, and semiochemical treatments, applying the SIT to eradicate outbreaks of invasive pests, and using the SIT against mosquito vectors of disease. This book will be useful reading for students in animal-, human-, and plant-health courses. The in-depth reviews of all aspects of the SIT and its integration into AW-IPM programmes, complete with extensive lists of scientific references, will be of great value to researchers, teachers, animal-, human-, and plant-health practitioners, and policy makers.

Insect pests are becoming a problem of ever-more biblical proportions. This new textbook collates a series of selected papers that attempt to address various fundamental components of area-wide insect pest control. Of special interest are the numerous papers on pilot and operational programs that pay special attention to practical problems encountered during program implementation. It’s a compilation of more than 60 papers authored by experts from more than 30 countries.