And while pathogens have been used in pest control almost entirely as 

 insecticide materials, the possibility of using them another way is fore- 

 seen. Spreading live infected insects may prove a superior technique with 

 diseases that can be transmitted through mating. Quantities of infected 

 male adult insects released to seek their kind could reduce pest popula- 

 tions, even among insect species that mate only once. It is known that many 

 pathogens lessen or destroy the egg-laying capacity of female insects. In 

 some cases, the infection can be transferred via eggs to larvae. Further- 

 more, if a pathogen is a type that persists on plants or in soil, the infected 

 insects would establish reservoirs of the disease agent by this means. 

 USDA scientists have started exploratory work in this direction. Success 

 with the infected insect method would give even better control than releasing 

 sterile male insects, especially among species in which male insects mate 

 several times. 



17 



ft U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 -615084 



