 Insect pests can cause serious diseases in human beings and animals and can destroy entire crops of fruit and vegetables. They can ruin farmers' livestock and seriously damage countries' economies. As a result of rapid growth in international travel and trade, new regions and even new continents are being affected by insect pests. The IAEA, through our well-established partnership with the FAO, helps countries to use nuclear techniques to control insect pests often with great success. We make available the sterile insect technique, which involves the sterileization of male insects using radiation before they release into the environment. SIT has proven to be very successful against screwworms, fruit flies, insect flies and moths.