Genetic Control of Insect Pests focuses on laboratory and field trials of genetic control methods of insects, which entails the use of insects to control themselves. It particularly describes species-specific and non-polluting genetic methods that have the advantage over most other methods of being efficient when the target insect is in low density, as the released insects have the capacity to search out the wild populations.
Composed of nine chapters, the core parts of the book cover the mass-rearing, sterilization, and release of populations in the hope that these will mate with wild populations, leading to fertility reduction and population elimination. The book also examines techniques that use naturally existing population incompatibilities and techniques, which can result in population replacement rather than eradication with the intention to render such replacement populations harmless beforehand by genetic manipulation.
This book is a valuable source of information for those who are searching for biological alternatives of insect pests control.

PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Introduction 2. The principles and dynamics involved in the sterile insect technique I Mass-rearing II Sterilization III Release IV Dynamics 3. Sterilization by irradiation I Livestock pests II Agricultural pests III Public health pests IV Radiation resistance4. Chemosterilants I Public health pests II Agricultural pests5. Hybrid sterility I Anopheline mosquitoes II The Aedes mariae complex III Tsetse fly crosses IV Teleogryllus crosses V Reduviid bug crosses 6. Cytoplasmic incompatibility I The Culex pipiens complex II The Aedes scutellaris complex 7. Translocations I General considerations II Dynamics III The isolation of translocations IV Compound chromosomes8. Other methods of genetic control I Lethal factors II Meiotic drive and sex distortion III Species replacement9. Summary and conclusionReferencesSubject Index