Sterilisation of painted apple moth <i>Teia anortoides</i> (Lepidoptera Lymantriidae) by irradiation

Abstract

The Australian painted apple moth (Teia anartoides) has been the target of an eradication programme in Auckland This has included an extensive trapping programme underpinned by moth dispersal studies Sterilisation of males was considered essential before release to avoid exacerbating the eradication problem Late stage male pupae were irradiated using 125 MeV gamma rays from a Cobalt⁶⁰ source at six doses (60 80 100 120 140 and 160 Gy) No effects were measurable on male emergence or mating performance in the treated compared to control insects Significant effects were observed in the F1 generation with increasing doses producing increased mortality At the highest doses 100 sterility was achieved in the F2 generation Male flight in a wind tunnel was not significantly affected by irradiation at 160 Gy Markrelease recapture experiments were successfully conducted with the maximum recorded dispersal distance of several kilometers by irradiated sterile male moths