Effectiveness of the sterile insect technique in controlling Aedes albopictus as part of an integrated control measure: evidence from a first small-scale field trial in Switzerland.

ABSTRACT: The invasive Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) poses growing health risks across Europe. In Switzerland, a preliminary field trial was conducted to assess the feasibility of integrating the sterile insect technique (SIT) into existing integrated vector management (IVM), which includes breeding site removal and application of biological larvicides. SIT involves repeated releases of irradiated sterile males, which mate with wild females, producing non-viable eggs and leading to population decline. Following a preliminary release test in 2022, a small-scale SIT trial took place in 2023 in Morcote, Switzerland. Approximately 150,000 sterile males were released weekly over a 45-hectare area throughout the entire mosquito activity season, from May to September. This SIT area also received

SUBMITTER: Parrondo Monton D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12372186 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature