Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Comparison Of Gelled And Meat Diets For Rearing Screwworm, Cochliomyia Hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Larvae, David B. Taylor, Robert L. Mangan
Comparison Of Gelled And Meat Diets For Rearing Screwworm, Cochliomyia Hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Larvae, David B. Taylor, Robert L. Mangan
David B. Taylor
A liquid diet solidified with an acrylamide-acrylate polymer gelling agent (Water-Lock) was compared with a standard meat diet for rearing screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), larvae. Size and yield of larvae reared on gel diet were equal to, or greater than, those of larvae reared on meat diet. Duration of larval development was increased by ca. 13 h on gel diet; however, variability of pupal weight and larval survival over generations were reduced when gel diet was used. Larval size was also more uniform over the 3-d period when larvae leave the rearing medium to pupate (crawl-off). Gelled diet was more …
Gelled Diet For Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Mass Production, David B. Taylor, Jimmy C. Bruce, Rene Garcia
Gelled Diet For Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Mass Production, David B. Taylor, Jimmy C. Bruce, Rene Garcia
David B. Taylor
A rearing system based on a diet gelled with Water-Lock G400, a synthetic superabsorbent (poly(2-propenamide-co-2-propenoic acid, sodium salt))( WL), was compared with the standard rearing system (liquid diet suspended in acetate fibers) for the mass production of screwworms, Cochlomyia hominivorax (Coquerel). The WL rearing system yielded 2% heavier pupae, 32% higher egg to pupa survival, and required 54% less diet and 88% less labor than the standard rearing system. Other advantages of the WL system include reduced susceptibility to suboptimal environmental conditions and labor practices, and characteristics conducive to centralization and mechanization of rearing procedures.