As evidenced by the successful area-wide insect pest control programmes described in this book, the sterile insect technique (SIT), a component of these programmes, has come of age. The technology has expanded rapidly — additional target species, new rearing techniques, better understanding of genetics and insect behaviour, and especially integration into operational area-wide integrated pest…
The Class Arthropoda, which includes insects, spiders, mites, and their relatives, is without question the most successful group of organisms on the planet. Insects alone account for nearly 55% of all species known to science (Barrowclough 1992). Spiders, mites and insects inhabit every terrestrial habitat on the planet and play a major role in the evolution and maintenance of biotic communitie…