why sterile males only are used in the sterile insect technique?

Question

the use of sterile insect technique in integrated insect management

Answer 1

The sterile insect technique involves mass breeding huge quantities of target insects in a "factory" and sterilizing the males by exposing them to low doses of radiation. These sterile male flies are then released by air over infested areas, where they mate with wild females. If the sterile males vastly outnumber the fertile wild males, the wild fly population quickly dies out. The proportion of infertile males to fertile wild males must be at least 10:1.

Answer 2

That is simple, it's more economical. One male can breed many females , each female will then lay thousands (depending on the species) of eggs, all of which will be sterile. That then decreases the population. If only females were sterile many more insects would have to be treated making it much more expensive. If you wer going to do that you may as well kill the females. It would have the same effect. We have already tried insecticides and failed to achieve adequate control.

Answer 3

As chili pepper said it produces an overabundance of sterile males competing with wild males to produce eggs that won't develop.

The reason the technique is so effective with screwworms is that the female only mates once so if she mates with sterile male she will produce no offspring.