A method related to the sterility concept--the creation of lethal genes 
in insect strains through natural selection or induced mutation--deserves 
investigation. Such strains might be mass produced and released to intro- 
duce the lethal genes in the natural population. At present there is more 
hope than assurance in this concept. 
The attractant approach to insect control probably offers the greatest 
possibilities for the development of effective and highly specific ways to 
control key insect species. The use of insect attractants was considered 
for many years with only limited success. However, new methods are under 
consideration such as the sex lures, Moreover, as chemical assay techniques 
improve, scientists are in a better position to search for and identify the 
specific substances that attract--such as sex attractants and specific food 
elements. 
Considerable success has already been achieved in the development of 
insect-resistant crop varieties to reduce insect damage, but little is known 
as to the nature of the resistance. Newer techniques in chemical analyses 
and a better understanding of the nutritional requirements of insects should 
help in identifying the chemical basis of resistance and perhaps lead to more 
rapid progress in this important approach to insect control. 
Agricultural engineers and biophysicists are delving into light and other 
radiations that produce responses in insects. Entomologists are developing 
new concepts of how to utilize methods of control more effectively. They are 
giving more attention to the total insect population in an area rather than 
just segments of the population. 
As we learn more and more about the behavior of insects, about their 
environment, their ecological requirements, their population dynamics and 
how their development can be interrupted most effectively by various 
approaches, it will be possible to use a particular method, or perhaps more 
often several methods, in an integrated system that will control specific 
pests. Insecticides will always be needed for the control of many insects, 
but alternate ways of controlling the major species will materially reduce 
the quaritity of conventional insecticides needed. 
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