Suppression of Drosophila melanogaster in Tomato Field Plots by the Release of Flies Sterilized by Apholate

For suppression of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen, adults were sterilized with 1% (w/v) aqueous apholate and released in ¼-acre tomato field plots at Beltsville, Maryland, in 1961 and 1962 at a ratio of about 20 or 25 sterile males to 1 native male. The 1961 releases in 2 separate areas resulted in maximum reductions of about 86 and 44%, respectively, in the number of adults developing from eggs laid by trapped native females collected from these areas and held separately in the laboratory. The 1962 releases resulted in about a 50% maximum reduction in the development of adult progeny from the eggs of similar females and an average suppression of native flies of about 80% for 7 weeks in the field plots.