Chemosterilant


A chemosterilant is a chemical compound that causes reproductive sterility in an organism. They may be used to control pest populations by sterilizing males. More technically, a chemosterilant is any chemical compound used to control economically destructive or disease-causing pests by causing temporary or permanent sterility of one or both of the sexes or preventing maturation of the young to a sexually functional adult stage.
The mating of sterilized insects with fertile insects produces no offspring, and if the number of sterile insects is kept constant, the percentage of sterile insects will increase, and fewer young will be produced in each successive generation. Chemosterilants should be applied in the larval or pupal stage of the insect to give rise to sterile adults or in the newly emerged adults before they become sexually mature.
Two types of chemosterilants are commonly used: