Current Advances in the Use of Cryogenics and Aerial Navigation Technologies for Sterile Insect Delivery Systems

Insect release methodologies have evolved into a more insect friendly process utilizing available industrial technologies to improve delivery mechanisms. The insect release activity has gone from a purely mechanical process to one that places greater emphasis on maintaining the quality of the sterile insect. Early systems depended greatly on mechanical displacement of flies using motors, augers, and moving belts. Complex heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components were also used for air conditioning. Current systems are available that rely more on gravity and suction for fly transport, dry ice for cooling, and solid state circuitry for controls. Also, navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS) and computer technologies can be used to control release machine operation. Systems using new technologies are more reliable, less damaging to the sterile insects, and decrease the cost of the sterile insect technique (SIT) operations.

KEYWORDS sterile insect technique, release systems, gravity and suction, dry ice, GPS/GIS-based navigation