Irradiation is the ideal technology for developing
‘‘generic’’ treatments because it is effective against most
insects and mites at dose levels that do not affect the quality of commodities. A generic quarantine treatment
is one that provides quarantine security for a broad
group of pests. For example, a generic treatment could
be applied to all Diptera (flies), or to flies in the family
Tephritidae (fruit flies), or to tephritid fruit flies in the
genus Bactrocera. Before generic treatments can be
recommended, information is needed on effective
irradiation doses for a wide range of insects within the
taxon.