Egg Collection Method in Mass Rearing of the Melon Fly, Dacus Cucurbitae Coquillett (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Abstract

An artificial substrate for oviposition, a cylindrical plastic container perforated with small holes and lined with a sheet of tissue paper wetted with squash juice, was found to be highly effective in stimulating oviposition of wild flies collected from field-infested fruits. However, because of a slow rate of development of wild flies in fecundity, it was necessary to select a colony with efficient egg production and a short preovipositional period. A mixture of sugar and protein-hydrolysate was found to be a better adult food for increasing fecundity than the individual components separately presented. An increase in the protein-hydrolysate content in the mixed food and in the number of flies per cage increased the amount of excremental deposit in the cage, but also caused an increase in egg production within a short period after emergence. A large cage for 50,000 individuals producing 4.5 millions eggs within 7 weeks after emergence was designed based on tests of egg production. The oviposition substrate mentioned above was further improved by substituting the tissue paper with a polyethylene net. © 1978, Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology. All rights reserved.