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SUMMARY:How to control pest insects such as mosquitoes by releasing lots m
 ore of them! - Nina Alphey\, Department of Zoology\, Oxford
DTSTART:20080501T152000Z
DTEND:20080501T163000Z
UID:TALK11899@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ken Eames
DESCRIPTION:The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a species-specific\, env
 ironmentally friendly method of pest control which depends on the mass-rea
 ring\, sterilization and release of large numbers of pest insects.  These 
 sterile insects mate with the wild population\, thereby reducing its repro
 ductive potential.  If a sufficient number of sterile insects can be relea
 sed for a sufficient period\, the target population will decline and colla
 pse.  Successful large-scale SIT programmes have been conducted around the
  world against a range of agricultural pest insects.  Trials in the 1970s 
 and 1980s against mosquito species were rather equivocal.  Modern genetics
  potentially provides several improvements that could overcome some of the
  technical difficulties with classical SIT\, increase its cost-effectivene
 ss and extend the range of suitable species\, for example to mosquitoes.  
 Methods using a repressible dominant lethal genetic system\, known as RIDL
 ®\, are being developed at the University of Oxford and through the spin-
 out company Oxitec Ltd.  Oxitec has created RIDL strains for several targe
 t species\, including the disease vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aede
 s albopictus\, and is conducting field trials.  Mathematical models are be
 ing developed to explore various aspects of this new technology.
LOCATION:Meeting room 15\, Centre for Mathematical Sciences
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