ABSTRACT
The ability to produce large numbers of insects at a relatively low cost has long been recognized as a major requirement for the successful application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). A fruit fly population in a mass rearing facility is a population with a growth rate of zero. Harvesting of pupae and discarding of old adults are considered as mortality factors for the model. Mass rearing is the most expensive activity of most SIT programs. The production of the maximum possible number of sterile flies at the lowest possible cost requires optimization of many aspects at the facility. For colonization or adaptation of wild flies to mass production conditions, this model helps to determine in advance the optimal discard age and to develop strategies that can be added to those that consider genetic diversity by collecting representative samples from field populations. The selection for early and high reproduction might be required to optimize mass production.
