Consistency of the release rate

During calibration the best least error amongst the 3 batches were observed at a rotation speed of 0.6 rpm which was therefore selected for use in assessing the consistency of the release rate of the BSI^TM, i.e. the number of males released per minute. A total of 2000 male flies were exposed to the release process at a rotation speed of 0.6 rpm for each of the three replicates. The BSI^TM was switched on one hour before the test and the software set to the following parameters for release of the flies: i) IPCL polygon where the machine was physically located, ii) manual control of the release iii) the numbers of insects available to pass through the machine, iv) a rotation speed of 0.6 rpm and v) a vibration value of the maximum power of the shaker. The duration of the release process was recorded using a digital timer. Male flies that passed through the BSI^TM were collected in a container placed on ice. The collection containers were changed every five minutes and the males counted manually. These manual counts were used for comparison with the number of males recorded by the BSI^TM. A total of seven containers of released flies were collected for each replicate. The flies were discarded after the test.