Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)
SIT is an environmentally-friendly pest management solution where the population of insects is controlled by releasing sterile males in a targeted area and protecting the area against invasion or re-invasion. First successful use of SIT to control screwworm – Island of Curacao. For over 70 years, SIT has been successfully applied in over 6 continents.
Is Non-GMO Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) right for you?Â
Pests are harmful to both the agricultural industry and human health. Rapid reproduction and population growth of these pests results in agricultural losses in crops and livestock, economic damage, and uncontrolled spread of harmful diseases called vector-borne diseases, which are carried by certain blood-feeding organisms such as mosquitoes and transmitted to humans through their bites. One method that is used to eliminate pests is called sterile insect technique (SIT). SIT uses radiation to mass-sterilize male pests in a population, and these males are unable to produce offspring when mating with females. SIT has been successfully used to control invasive insect pests since the 1940’s.
Rad Source creates and manufactures cost-efficient and safe x-ray irradiation instruments specifically designed for SIT, reducing the burden of pests and vector-borne diseases throughout the world.
Patented Quastar® Photonic Decontamination™ Technology
Our patented Quastarâ„¢ x-ray irradiation technology is scientifically proven to deplete harmful pests to prevent disease, restore prosperity to the agricultural industry, and improve the health and well-being of the human population.
Environmentally Friendly Insect Control
Non-GMO SIT is a clean, renewable energy used to sterilize mass-reared insects. The process allows the treated insects to remain sexually competitive yet cannot produce offspring without involving genetic engineering.
Patented Carousel Circulation Technology
Our high capacity, single chamber design that is integrated with a multi Âcanister carousel technology allows for maximum throughput.
Cheaper Alternative To Gamma
- NO decay curve calculation
- NO need for secure/shielded room
- NO nuclear site license required
- NO added safety costs.
RS 2400 Series
Rad Source designs and manufactures cost-efficient and safe x-ray irradiation instruments specifically designed for Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), reducing the burden of pests and vector-borne diseases throughout the world.
Latest News & Studies
How to Control Insect Pests Using Radiation
Insect pests spread diseases. Mosquitoes, for example, are responsible for the spread of malaria, which affected 247 million people in 2021 alone and caused over 600 000 deaths. Parasitic insect pests, such as parasitic flies,...
Successful Suppression of an Aedes aegypti Field Population in Cuba
The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a species-specific and environment-friendly method of insect control that relies on the release of large numbers of sterile insects. Mating released sterile males with wild females leads to...
Looking Skyward to Take on Major Pest of the Nut Industry
ARS is rebooting an old farming technique to fight the navel orangeworm An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist in California is developing a new use for a tool that farmers have had in their kit for over 100 years —...