tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post8477586379604304667..comments2024-03-07T02:00:01.582-05:00Comments on NEI Nuclear Notes: "Birth Control for Insects" Using RadiationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10911751.post-87174334081886044642009-12-01T20:16:16.723-05:002009-12-01T20:16:16.723-05:00As it happens, I was doing some research on SIT my...As it happens, I was doing some research on SIT myself. SIT is often used in combination with pesticide rather than as an alternative. Because it relies on creating a large boy fly-to-girl fly ratio such that a female is unlikely to hook up with a guy that isn't shooting blanks, the population needs to be relatively small for SIT to be practical. If the alien species has gotten a firm toe hold pesticides may be needed to bring the populations down first before SIT delivers the knockout blow, as what happened to deal with the various Mediterranean Fruit Fly infestations that have hit California and Florida over the years. For that reason SIT isn't likely to be effective at eradicating tsetse flies from Africa, for example. Of course, the best defense is a strong offense, which is one reason why fruits, veggies and spices are irradiated as an alternative to fumigation to kill or sterilize the critters before they even land on our shores.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com