ABSTRACT
This lecture reviews areas of work where genetical concepts and techniques are applied in the control of insect pests. One such area concerns the mass release of males of the pest species carrying particular genes or chromosome arrangements. Genetic techniques are required for separating the sexes at an early stage in development so that only males are produced. Genetic methods also aim at improving the competitive ability of the mass-bred insects so that they achieve maximum effectiveness when released. Other work aims at a better understanding of how insects become resistant to insecticides, so that improved strategies for slowing down this process can be developed. The lecture concludes by considering the impact of recombinant DNA techniques on developments in this field.
