Towards a sterile insect technique field release of Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in Sudan: Irradiation, transportation, and field cage experimentation

Table 4 Competition experiments in the field cage.

Experiment 1	# ♂* (age in d)	# ♂ (age in d)	# ♀ (age in d)	# ♀ lab (age in d)	Ratio ♂*:♂:♀	# ♀ recaptured		Inseminated (N)
						am	pm
Section A first batch ♀	256 (2)	110 (2–3)	170 (2–3)		~2:1:0.6	19	2
Recapture (%)	n/d		12					100 (3)
Section A second batch ♀				175	n/n	43	3
Recapture (%)	5			26				63 (30)
Experiment 2 section B	223 (4)	223 (2–4)	223 (2–4)		1:1:1	51	2
Recapture (%)	34	38	24					72 (18)

The number and age (i.e. in days between brackets) of the mosquitoes introduced is given, as well as the ratio of irradiated males (♂*) versus wild males (♂) versus wild females (♀; for the 2^nd batch of females in exp. 1 this ratio was not known). In experiment 1, first a batch of wild females was introduced, and secondly laboratory females. For females the number recaptured by daytime checking (am) and human landing catches in the evening (pm) is given. The proportion of recaptured males and females after mating, as well as insemination rate (%) and number of females dissected (N) after recapture are given. n/d: not determined, n/n: not known.

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