To Make A Spotless Orange is the story of science with a mission: the use of organisms to attack pests. Few states showed very little interest after the first commercial pesticides appeared in the late nineteenth century. In california alone, entomologists persevered in developing both the theory and practice of biological control. These entomologists were neither environmentalists nor health crusaders, but scientist s who believed that their method would be the cheapest and most effective in the long run.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly pest control method that fits into area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programmes. This book describes the principles and practice of SIT, frankly evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. SIT is useful against pests that have considerable impact on plant, animal and human health, and criteria are provided to guide in the selection of pests appropriate for SIT.