SIR School Videos

This six-module course provides a comprehensive introduction to Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for codling moth management in tree fruit production. Taught by entomologist Dr. Marion Le Gall, the course is designed for apple and pear growers, pest management consultants, and agricultural professionals looking to understand and implement SIT as part of a modern Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

The course covers the full arc of SIT, from its international origins and the 1950s USDA research to today’s operational programs in British Columbia, Washington State, and beyond. Students will learn how sterile insects are produced and released, how to monitor program effectiveness, how to integrate SIT with existing spray and mating disruption programs, and what emerging technologies like CRISPR and X-ray irradiation mean for the future of biological pest control. Real-world grower and practitioner perspectives are featured throughout, culminating in a live Q&A panel with experienced SIT adopters.

Module 1 — Welcome to Class!

An introduction to Sterile Insect Technique through its history — from Soviet theory to the landmark U.S. Screwworm eradication program — with profiles of active SIT programs for mosquitoes, pink bollworm, and Mediterranean fruit fly.
Key Topics

  • Course introduction and instructor overview
  • What is Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)?
  • Codling moth background and why SIT works
  • Course structure and learning objectives

Module 2 — Producing Sterile Insects

How sterile insects go from egg to field — covering artificial diet science, radiation sterilization and inherited sterility for Lepidoptera, quality control, torpor-based transport, and drone release logistics.
Key Topics

  • Mass-rearing methods for sterile insects
  • Irradiation and sterilization process
  • Quality control and release standards
  • Aerial and ground release logistics

Module 3 — Monitoring & Evaluation

How to evaluate whether your SIT program is working — overflooding ratios, phenology-based release timing, pheromone trap interpretation, smear-test sterility verification, and why fruit damage assessment is the definitive measure of success.
Key Topics

  • Trap monitoring techniques for codling moth
  • Population trend analysis
  • Program benchmarks and success criteria
  • Data collection and reporting

Module 4 — Integrating SIT into IPM

Delivered by Evan Esh of BC’s OKSR program — 30 years of operational SIT experience translated into practical guidance on combining SIT with mating disruption, insecticides, and biological controls, and how population density determines which tools to use when.
Key Topics

  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles
  • Combining SIT with conventional controls
  • Spray program compatibility
  • Grower decision-making frameworks

Module 5 — Grower Q&A

A live panel with four SIT practitioners — covering spray thresholds, when SIT makes economic sense, how to manage high-pressure blocks, and hard-won field lessons from Washington State and British Columbia.
Key Topics

  • Real-world grower adoption experiences
  • Cost-benefit perspectives from the field
  • Common challenges and resolutions
  • Program satisfaction and outcomes

Module 6 — Future Directions

The course finale covers the transition from gamma to X-ray irradiation, the promise and regulatory barriers of CRISPR and RNAi-based sterility, nutritional geometry as a framework for faster diet development, and new SIT programs expanding globally.
Key Topics

  • Emerging SIT research and technology
  • Expanding to other pest species
  • Program scaling and regional adoption
  • Long-term vision for biological control