EFFECTS OF LARVAL DENSITY ON POSTMETAMORPHIC SPADEFOOT TOADS (SPEA HAMMONDII)

Burnt pine longhorn (BPL) Arhopalus ferus (Mulsant) (Coleoptera Cerambycidae) is an introduced species sometimes found in association with export logs and sawn timber A rearing method was developed to produce larvae of a known age number and quality for control trials Growth of larvae from newly hatched to 5 weeks was measured on a standard cerambycid artificial diet and on modified diets Replacing pine wood with pine bark sawdust increased survival at 5 weeks from 23 to 76 and mean weight from 9 to 21 mg There were significant interactions between the influences of three factors (diet period of rearing initial larval density) on the weight of surviving larvae Individual rearing was preferred for convenience and a standardised method was used to rear 8740 larvae for disinfestation trials Establishment and survival to 6 weeks for these larvae was 97

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Improvement of water quality for mass anopheline rearing: evaluation of the impact of ammonia-capturing zeolite on larval development and adult phenotypic quality

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-021-04763-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nwamaka Oluchukwu Akpodiete ◽

Frédéric Tripet

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Larval Development ◽

Larval Density ◽

Malaria Vector Control ◽

Larval Rearing ◽

Emergence Success ◽

Phenotypic Quality ◽

Rearing Density ◽

Daily Water ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Malaria vector control approaches that rely on mosquito releases such as the sterile insect technique (SIT) and suppression or replacement strategies relying on genetically modified mosquitoes (GMM) depend on effective mass production of Anopheles mosquitoes. Anophelines typically require relatively clean larval rearing water, and water management techniques that minimise toxic ammonia are key to achieving optimal rearing conditions in small and large rearing facilities. Zeolites are extensively used in closed-system fish aquaculture to improve water quality and reduce water consumption, thanks to their selective adsorption of ammonia and toxic heavy metals. The many advantages of zeolites include low cost, abundance in many parts of the world and environmental friendliness. However, so far, their potential benefit for mosquito rearing has not been evaluated. Methods This study evaluated the independent effects of zeolite and daily water changes (to simulate a continuous flow system) on the rearing of An. coluzzii under two feed regimes (powder and slurry feed) and larval densities (200 and 400 larvae per tray). The duration of larval development, adult emergence success and phenotypic quality (body size) were recorded to assess the impact of water treatments on mosquito numbers, phenotypic quality and identification of optimal feeding regimes and larval density for the use of zeolite. Results Overall, mosquito emergence, duration of development and adult phenotypic quality were significantly better in treatments with daily water changes. In treatments without daily water changes, zeolite significantly improved water quality at the lower larval rearing density, resulting in higher mosquito emergence and shorter development time. At the lower larval rearing density, the adult phenotypic quality did not significantly differ between zeolite treatment without water changes and those with daily changes. Conclusions These results suggest that treating rearing water with zeolite can improve mosquito production in smaller facilities. Zeolite could also offer cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for water recycling management systems in larger production facilities. Further studies are needed to optimise and assess the costs and benefits of such applications to Anopheles gambiae (s.l.) mosquito-rearing programmes. Graphic abstract

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Effect of Processed Beverage By-Product-Based Diets on Biological Parameters, Conversion Efficiency and Body Composition of Hermetia illucens (L) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12050475 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 475

Author(s):

Vassilios Sideris ◽

Maria Georgiadou ◽

Georgios Papadoulis ◽

Konstantinos Mountzouris ◽

Antonios Tsagkarakis

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Larval Density ◽

Mass Reduction ◽

Spent Coffee Grounds ◽

Hermetia Illucens ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Spent Grains ◽

Coffee Grounds ◽

By Products

The effect of spent coffee grounds (SCG), brewer’s spent grains (BSG) and their mixtures with the addition of brewer’s yeast (BY) were tested in two rearing densities of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens (L.). Different treatments were investigated on larval development, survival, yield, protein conversion (PrCR) and bioconversion rate (BCR), substrate mass reduction and body composition of the insect. BSF larvae were able to develop sufficiently in all diets, except on sole SCG. The addition of BY enhanced the performance properties of diets, especially in the case of SCG, where larvae underperformed. Substrate mass reduction, PrCR and BCR were affected only by feed and exhibited higher values on reference feed, followed by BSG and SCG+BSG enriched with BY. Density did not have a significant effect on various larval nutrients, except for fat, which was higher on larvae fed enriched feeds with BY and in the 300 larval density. The interaction between feed and density strongly affected the nitrogen and protein levels, larval yield and ash. Generally, diets which contained SCG exhibited high larval crude protein levels. Our results illustrate that low value beverage by-products can be successfully utilized as constituents of a successful BSF diet.

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