[IAEA] The Mediterranean fruit fly or medfly, one of the most devastating insect pests infesting fruits and vegetables, has been successfully eradicated in the Mexican state of Colima, as announced by the Mexican authorities this week. In cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Mexico used a nuclear-based technique known as the sterile insect technique (SIT) to eradicate the medfly that had been threatening fruit and vegetable crops, farmers; livelihoods and the country's economy. basically they nuked a billion med flies a week for a month or so and let the sterile flies do their thing