Entomology, Department of

 

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1991

Comments

Published in Journal of Economic Entomology84(3): 927-935 (1991).

Abstract

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.

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Entomology Commons

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