Many tephritid fruit flies are economically important pest species that can destroy fruits and vegetables, bringing can be a barrier to international trades. The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a species-specific and environment-friendly pest control method, has been proven to be highly effective against tephritid pests. Genetic engineering has a potential to bring great improvements to SIT and facilitate its applicability to more insect pests. Much progress has been made in the area, which also became a frontier of genetic innovation. Here we describe the principles of lethality systems based on the tetoff inducible gene expression system，same case studies from Drosophila and tephritid fruit flies for the improvement of SIT, and the application of similar systems to other agricultural insects. The progress to develop a genetic control system on Bactrocera dorsalis is also briefly reported here. The genetic control strategies based on genetic engineering and SIT is believed to play a great role in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of tephritid fruit flies and other agricultural insect pests in the future.