Guideline for packing, shipping, holding and release of sterile flies in area-wide fruit fly control programmes. Second edition

The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is the international treaty under which the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are adopted. ISPM No. 3, "Guidelines for the Export, Shipment, Import, and Release of Biological Control Agents and Other Beneficial Organisms", adopted in 2005, includes sterile insects among beneficial organisms. This development and the increasing use and transboundary shipment of sterile insects led to the demand for harmonized and optimized technologies for all post-mass-rearing processes related to the application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), from pupal shipment, to fly emergence through to insect release. This document is a compilation of the standardized processes currently used in most of the fruit fly SIT applications world-wide. This 2nd edition of this guideline is an updated version of the original FAO/IAEA guideline published by FAO in 2007. This new version was also prepared by a group of experts most of which work in area-wide Integrated Pest Management programmes that incorporate an SIT component. The latest innovations resulting from research and development and validated during the practical application of SIT technology were all included in this updated guideline. The review was thorough and included updates of most chapters and topics such as new methods to estimate sterile to fertile fly ratios and densities, novel packing, holding and release equipment and procedures, a much expanded GIS chapter, as well as updated figures, tables and references to recent relevant literature. The previous Chapter 11 (post-irradiation quality control) and 12 (identification of recaptured sterile and fertile flies) were deleted, since specific guidelines are available covering these topics. The majority of the procedures described in this guideline were initially designed specifically for the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wied.). Nevertheless, these can be applied with some modifications to other tephritid pest species of the genera Anastrepha, Bactrocera and Dacus. The guideline is designed to be a working document, subject to periodic reviews and updates based on new developments in SIT technology. Future editions will endeavour to include more specific recommendations for other species of fruit flies as the relevant data become available. The procedures described will help ensure that released sterile fruit flies be of the best possible quality and that the sterile fly release densities are adequate to the needs of area-wide SIT programmes. This guideline is aimed at quickly identifying and correcting problems affecting the effectiveness of operational programmes, resulting from less than optimal emergence, handling, and release conditions that have negative impacts on the sterile fly quality. This guideline is aimed at facilitating the transfer of harmonized and state of the art technology to FAO and IAEA Member States that want to embark on area-wide action programmes that use SIT. There is also increased interest by the private sector in investing in sterile insect production, packing and release. This harmonized guideline that cover the post-production phase will facilitate SIT application and foster its commercialisation.