A new automated chilled adult release system for the aerial distribution of sterile male tsetse flies

Abstract

27 42 for tsetse flies was tested for its accuracy (in counting numbers of sterile males as loaded into the 43 machine), release rate consistency and impact on quality of the released males. The impact of the 44 release process was evaluated on several performance indicators of the irradiated male flies such as 45 flight propensity, survival, mating competitiveness, premating and mating duration, and insemination 46 rate of mated females. 47 Results 48The BSI TM release system counted with a consistent accuracy and released homogenously tsetse flies 49 at the lowest motor speed (0.6 rpm). In addition, the chilling conditions (6 ± 1 o C) and the release 50 process (passing of flies through the machine) had no significant negative impact on the males' flight 51 propensity. No significant differences were observed between the control males (no irradiation and no 52 exposure to the release process), irradiated males (no exposure to the release process) and irradiated 53 males exposed to the release process with respect to mating competitiveness, premating period and 54 mating duration. Only survival of irradiated males that were exposed to the release process was 55 reduced (~2 folds), irrespective of whether the males were held with or without feeding. 56Conclusion 57 Although the release process had a negative effect on survival of the flies, the data of the experiments 58 indicate that the BSI machine holds promise for use in tsetse SIT programmes. The results of this 59 study will now need to be confirmed under operational field conditions in West Africa.

Gamma Irradiation and Male Glossina austeni Mating Performance

“…The sterile males for the Niayes program were mass-reared in three production centers in Burkina Faso, Slovakia and Austria, and irradiated male pupae (110 Gy) were transported under chilled conditions by courier to Dakar in Senegal [19,20] where they emerged after arrival [20][21][22] and prepared for release [19,20]. The flies were released as adults, after having received two blood meals, using either carton release boxes or an automated chilled adult release device mounted on a gyrocopter [23,24].…”

Harnessing thermal plasticity to enhance the performance of mass-reared insects: opportunities and challenges

“…Insects are usually chilled prior to handling and irradiation, as well as for packing and shipping (Dyck et al ., 2005), and sometimes chilled specifically to aid dispersal (e.g. Mirieri et al ., 2020). In most cases, a departure from chilling temperatures is because of inaccuracy in temperature maintenance rather than because of deliberately variable temperature conditions, which we discuss below.…”

Potential of the Sterile Insect Technique for Control of Deer Ticks, $\textit{Ixodes scapularis}$

“…In light of the expected unusual expense of rearing I. scapularis, discussed next (Section 4.3), the cost of aerial release is cause for serious concern. Fortunately, increased usage of aerial release for SIT has brought more attention to this method [85,84,86,87], and strides are being made to reduce its cost [80,85,88,87]. Such progress may be a prerequisite for I. scapularis SIT.…”