Series of photographs of scientists handling fruit flies for irradiation at the laboratory at Seibersdorf.

Scientist seen inserting the fruit flies into the dispersing tube.

Technitians at the Seibersdorf laboratory, separating the fruit fly pupae from the bran.

Four children examine white paper bags containing sterile flies which will be released at given point over Capri., IAEA/FAO - Mediterranean Fruit Fly Eradication Project

The Italian entomologist Ugo Cirio, opening a white paper bag with radiation-sterilized insects in a field of growing fruit., IAEA/FAO - Mediterranean Fruit Fly Eradication Project

A scientist removing fly eggs from the through by hand: The cages are arranged in a rack with the gauze screens standing vertically above troughs of water. The eggs fall into the troughs, whence they are collected either by hand or by an automatic system of water sprays.

A scientist removing fly eggs from the through by hand.

Automatic fruit fly egg collection.

Scientist working with the automatic fruit fly egg collection.

Scientist working with the automatic fruit fly egg collection.

Scientist working with the automatic fruit fly egg collection.

Pupae, from which the adult flies will emerge.

Trays for rearing larvae (on the shelves), and a large bin in which the next stage of the life cycle - pupation - takes place.

Trays for rearing larvae (on the shelves), and a large bin in which the next stage of the life cycle - pupation - takes place.

A plastic container of fruit fly pupae is lowered into a gamma cell, where it is exposed to radiation from a cobalt-60 source. The gamma radiation is sufficient to sterilize the flies without greatly reducing their activity.