The use of incompatible males (IM) of (A) mating type to suppress the Iraqi (B) strain of Ephestia cautella, when the release ratio was 80:1:1 (A males: B males: B females, respectively), brought about a highly successful protection of uncovered loose dates against infestation with (B) strain in a simulated date store. Surprisingly the protection effect of IMs lasted for 230 days which commercially covers almost the whole period of date storage.
Since strain A males are believed to compete poorly against wild strain B males, the competitiveness of F1 males was measured in order to determine if they might be promising candidates for subsequent trials of the control of E. cautella by the release of incompatible males.
