FIELD STUDIES ON THE RELEASE OF STERILE MALES FOR THE CONTROL OF ANOPHELES QUADRIMACULATUS

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1962 · Mosquito News

OSTI ID:4018361

Weidhaas, D E; Schmidt, C H

Preliminary studies on the development of the sterilemale technique with Anopheles quadrimaculatus had shown that doses of 8865 to 12900 r of gamma radiation applied in the pupal or adult stage produced sterility in both sexes. Sterilized females mated to normal males produced no eggs, whereas normal females mated with sterilized males produced a normal number of eggs, but none hatched. When sterilized males were introduced into caged populations of normai males and normal females at ratios of 4 : 1 : 1 or less, no reduction in the total number of viable eggs was produced, but at ratios of 6 : 1 : 1 and 10 : 1:1 there was a reduction of about 80%. Because of these promising laboratory results, the research program on the sterile-male technlque with A. guadrimaculatus was expanded to include field tests. In two such tests males sterilized in the pupal stage with 12000 r of gamma radiation were released into natural populations. In one of these, a total of 328,900 males were released during an 11-month period (an average of 3700 males/square mile/week) at 9 to 10 release points on a smali semi-isolated island in Lake Okeechobee, Fla. In the other, a total of 104,700 males were released during an 11-week total (average of 9500 males/week) at two stations about 1/8 mile apart within an extensive breeding area in a tree-covered swamp flooded by rain water and spring-fed streams, located at the south end of Lake Panasoffkee, Sumter County, Fla. To determine if these sterile males caused any reduction of, or sterility in, the natural populations, the number of adult A. quadrimaculatus in resting stations and the viabliity of eggs from females collected from these resting stations were followed in the release and check areas. In the Lake Okeechobee experiment the release of sterile males may have decreased the abundance of A. quadrimaculatus during the first half of the experiment when the natural population was in a seasonal decline, but it had no effect when the natural population increased during the second half of the test. Release of sterile males in the Lake Panasoffkee area did not conclusively demonstrate any induced sterility in wild females. (BBB)

• Research Organization: Dept. of Agriculture, Gainesville, Fla.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-019654
• OSTI ID: 4018361
• Journal Information: Mosquito News, Journal Name: Mosquito News Vol. Vol: 22
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AGE
ANIMAL CELLS
ANOPHELES
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
CONTROL
EGGS
ENVIRONMENT
FLORIDA
GAMMA RADIATION
GONADS
HYDROLOGY
INSECTS
MOSQUITOES
NUMERICALS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION INJURIES
REPRODUCTION
SEX
STATISTICS
STERILIZATION
TESTING
USA