One of the most promising methods for pest control is the chemical sterilization, which can be retrieved by association of a bait with products less toxic than the conventional insecticides, such as insect growth regulators, with the objective of reducing egg laying or larvae hatching. To sterilize the mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a trial was estabilished in 1998, in Piracicaba (São Paulo State, Brazil), by using insect growth regulators in subdoses: lufenuron (Match) 10 mg/L, triflumuron (Alsystin) 10 mg/L, azadirachtina (Nim) 30 mg/L and tebufenozide (Mimic) 10 mg/L. Lufenuron and azadirachtina showed 100% efficiency until 6 days after the oviposition peak, and triflumuron showed an average 80% efficiency during the evaluation period. According to the results, these three products can be used for fruit fly sterilization. Tebufenozide was not effective for this purpose.