Impact of age, sex, and size on the thermal tolerance of the adult black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
C. Li ◽  
N.F. Addeo ◽  
T.W. Rusch ◽  
A.J. Dickerson ◽  
A.M. Tarone ◽  
...  

Thermal stresses from both environmental conditions and organismal crowding are common in mass production of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). In this study, upper and lower critical thermal (CT) limits (i.e. knockdown CTmax and CTmin) for the adult black soldier fly were determined. Impacts of size, age, and sex on these critical temperatures were also assessed. The CTmax ranged from 45.0-51.0 °C with larger and older adults having a ~1 °C higher CTmax than smaller and younger adults. However, no differences in the CTmax were found between sexes, regardless of age or size. The CTmin ranged from 8.0 to 13.0 °C with larger and older females having a ~1 °C higher CTmin than males and smaller or younger females. While reporting the upper and lower critical temperatures, this study also revealed the thermal breadth (i.e. the range of body temperatures over which organisms can locomote) for adult black soldier flies across age, sex, and size. Based on these data, and when recognising not all fly populations are the same, mass-rearing facilities should determine the CTmax and CTmin for their fly population in order to optimise mating and fertile egg production, and ultimately maximise profits and sales. One degree of temperature can be the difference between success and failure in industrialised facilities.

Parasite ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadaka Mamai ◽  
Nanwintoum Sévérin Bimbilé Somda ◽  
Hamidou Maiga ◽  
Anna Konczal ◽  
Thomas Wallner ◽  
...  

The mass production of mosquitoes is becoming more wide-spread due to the increased application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and other genetic control programmes. Due to the variable availability and high cost of the bovine liver powder (BLP) constituent of many current larval diets, there is an urgent demand for new ingredients in order to support sustainable and efficient mosquito production while reducing rearing cost, without affecting the quality of the insects produced. Two black soldier fly (BSF) powder-based diet formulations (50% tuna meal, 35% BSF powder, 15% brewer’s yeast and 50% tuna meal + 50% BSF powder) were tested for their suitability to support the development of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes in mass-rearing conditions. Overall, the results indicate that the use of the BSF powder did not negatively impact the development and quality of the produced insects in terms of time to pupation, adult production and male flight ability. Furthermore, depending on the species and diet formulations, there were improvements in some parameters such as female body size, egg production, egg hatch rate and male longevity. BSF powder is a valuable ingredient that can effectively replace costly BLP for the mass production of high quality Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. Both diet formulations can be used for Ae. aegypti showing high plasticity to nutrition sources. However, for Ae. albopictus we recommend the combination including brewer’s yeast.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiu-Li Hou ◽  
Er-Hu Chen ◽  
Wei Dou ◽  
Jin-Jun Wang

Abstract Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a notorious insect pest that attacks diverse vegetables and fruits worldwide. The sterile insect technique has been developed as an environmentally friendly and effective control method that depends on the mass production of target flies. Because dietary yeast (protein) and sucrose (carbohydrate) are important in adult diets, yeast:sucrose (Y:S) mixtures are crucial for the mass-rearing of B. dorsalis. In this study, we found adult diets with different ratios of yeast to sucrose-influenced fecundity, and an extremely high or low Y:S ratios significantly decreased egg production of B. dorsalis. Additionally, the maximum oviposition efficiency was realized at dietary yeast to sucrose ratios of 1:1 and 1:3, suggesting their potential use to produce more eggs for the mass production of B. dorsalis. Here, new gel diets having different yeast concentrations (g/L water) were also assessed for rearing B. dorsalis larvae. Gel diets containing 20 g/L yeast led to a higher pupation, pupal weight and adult eclosion rate, and a shorter developmental time than other yeast concentrations. Moreover, the present gel diet also resulted in greater pupal production and adult emergence rates than previously used liquid and solid artificial diets, revealing that it is suitable for rearing B. dorsalis larvae. This research provides a useful reference on artificial diets mixtures for mass rearing B. dorsalis, which is critical for employing the sterile insect technique.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 622
Author(s):  
Thiago Mastrangelo ◽  
Adalecio Kovaleski ◽  
Bruno Maset ◽  
Maria de Lourdes Zamboni Costa ◽  
Claudio Barros ◽  
...  

The existing rearing protocols for Anastrepha fraterculus must be reviewed to make economically viable the production of sterile flies for their area-wide application. Additionally, evidence of sexual incompatibility between a long-term mass-reared Brazilian strain and wild populations has been found. To address these issues, this study aimed to refine rearing protocols and to assess the suitability of an A. fraterculus strain for the mass production of sterile flies. A series of bioassays were carried out to evaluate incubation times for eggs in a bubbling bath and to assess the temporal variation of egg production from ovipositing cages at different adult densities. A novel larval diet containing carrageenan was also evaluated. Egg incubation times higher than 48 h in water at 25 °C showed reduced larval and pupal yields. Based on egg production and hatchability, the density of 0.3 flies/cm2 can be recommended for adult cages. The diet with carrageenan was suitable for mass production at egg-seeding densities between 1.0 and 1.5 mL of eggs/kg of diet, providing higher insect yields than a corn-based diet from Embrapa. Even after two years of being reared under the new rearing protocols, no sexual isolation was found between the bisexual strain and wild flies.


Author(s):  
Annie Lang ◽  
Nancy Schwartz ◽  
Sharon Mayell

The study reported here compared how younger and older adults processed the same set of media messages which were selected to vary on two factors, arousing content and valence. Results showed that older and younger adults had similar arousal responses but different patterns of attention and memory. Older adults paid more attention to all messages than did younger adults. However, this attention did not translate into greater memory. Older and younger adults had similar levels of memory for slow-paced messages, but younger adults outperformed older adults significantly as pacing increased, and the difference was larger for arousing compared with calm messages. The differences found are in line with predictions made based on the cognitive-aging literature.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
N.F. Addeo ◽  
C. Li ◽  
T.W. Rusch ◽  
A.J. Dickerson ◽  
A.M. Tarone ◽  
...  

Population growth and rapid urbanisation have increased the global demand for animal feed and protein sources. Therefore, traditional animal feed production should be increased through the use of alternative nutrient sources. Insects as feed are beginning to fill this need. One such insect is the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). However, to more effectively mass produce the black soldier fly, a better understanding of its thermal biology is needed. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of age, size, and sex on adult black soldier fly thermal preference. The thermal preference of adult black soldier flies was determined by exposing flies to a thermal gradient with a range of surface temperatures and monitoring their positions over time. An aluminium plate was used to create a linear thermal gradient where surface temperatures ranged from ~15-60 °C. Flies were distinguished by age (1-d-post-emergence vs 7-d-post-emergence), size (large vs small) and sex (male vs female) to assess whether thermal preference differed by specific life-history traits. Thermal preference for 7-d-post-emergence adults was significantly lower (19.2 °C) than 1-d-post-emergence adults (28.7 °C), respectively. Similarly, small adults selected significantly cooler (21.1 °C) temperatures than large adults (26.9 °C). No significant differences in thermal preferences were found between sex, regardless of age or size. In fact, males and females had similar thermal preference of 23.8 and 24.2 °C, respectively. This study reveals that multiple life-history traits of adult black soldier fly affect their thermal preference, and thus should be taken into consideration by mass rearing facilities to optimize production.


1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 437-445
Author(s):  
Tuomo Kiiskinen ◽  
Hilkka Hakatie

Two factorial trials, each including three commercial laying hybrids, were conducted to study the effects of a short laying rest on postrest performance of hens and on egg quality. A total of 1800 hens laying at 65% on an average (70 wks of age) were subjected to one of the following treatments: no rest (control, C) or feeding only whole-grain barley (WB) or fasting (F, Trial 1 only) until the rate oflay dropped to 0%, after which the birds were returned to the previous all-mash diet. The second laying period was six months. Egg production of the WB and F hens ceased within one week on an average and the birds were out of production for 10 days. Laying intensity during the second production period did not differ significantly between the treatments in each trial, but egg weight and daily egg mass production increased as a result of the rest treatments. The laying rest procedures reduced feed intake, improved feed efficiency and increased live weight significantly. Egg shell and albumen quality traits were significantly better in the laying rest groups than in the controls. Significant differences in performance and egg quality between the hybrids were mainly ascertained in Trial 2. The results suggest that a short laying rest is a feasible means of improving egg quality towards the end of the laying period. It can be accomplished successfully by feeding whole-grain barley.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 2654-2657 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Davey ◽  
I.-K. Maimets ◽  
R. P. Ruegg

Earlier work showed that the number of eggs produced by a virgin female is smaller than that produced by a mated female. The current paper shows that this results not from a difference in rates of egg production, but from the operation of the same linear rate for different times. Denervating the corpus allatum in virgin females extends the time over which the same rate of egg production operates, thus indicating that the inhibition of egg production in virgin females results from a nervous inhibition of the corpus allatum. The initial rate of emptying of the crop is also approximately linear in both virgin and mated females. Later, crop emptying slows in virgins and remains linear in mated females. When these relationships are disturbed by plugging the anus of females before feeding, the rate of crop emptying in virgins more closely resembles that in mated females, and the difference in egg production between mated and virgin females disappears. These results are put into the context of a hypothesis which predicts that the degree of distension of the crop is an important determinant of the length of time that the corpus allatum remains active.


QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Saleh Elalfy ◽  
Fatma Soliman Elsayed Ebeid ◽  
Mohammed Ahmed Samir Ibrahim ◽  
Hanaa Midhat Abdel Gader Hussein

Abstract Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is considered the most prevalent monogenic diseases worldwide. Iron overload is one of the major complications in those patients, especially who in need for frequent transfusion, affecting many organs including the brain. MRI is a valuable, reliable and non-invasive method for quantifying iron concentration in many organs as the liver and heart and it is now used for monitoring of the chelation therapy in SCD patients. Several studies began reporting differences in global cognitive function, particularly for children with SCD, they are at a high risk for neurocognitive impairment they often scored lower on general IQ measures than healthy children which is due to iron overload in brain tissue from the chronic transfusions which can lead to strokes and may be a silent stroke. Objective The current study assessed brain iron content (using R2* values) in the caudate and thalamic regions through quantitative brain MRI study in SCD patients in comparison to age and sex-matched healthy controls. Methods A case-control study recruited 32 patients with SCD and 11 healthy controls. Brain MRI study using multi-echo fast gradient echo sequence was done for all the patients and controls. Brain R2* values of both caudate and thalamic regions (right and left sides) were calculated for only 15 SCD patients and the 11 controls. All recruited SCD patients and controls were examined for the neurocognitive functions by these tests: Wechsler IV Intelligence Scale for Adult shows (Verbal, Perceptual, Memory, Processing and Total IQ), their all normal values between 90 – 110. Benton Visual Retention Test have cut of point at (> 4 or = 4). Those values are the same for the difference between the obtained correct and the expected correct, and the difference between the obtained error and expected error. Results The fifteen patient with SCD who underwent brain MRI were age and sex matched with the eleven healthy control (15 SCD patients: mean-age: 16.93 ± 3.41 years, 40.6% females and 11healthy controls: mean age: 18.73 ± 4.84 years, 54.5% females) were enrolled in the study. As regards the brain MRI, there was no statistically significant differences between SCD and control group in all regions of interests (p > 0.05). Our study showed that 72.7% of our SCD patients had under threshold TIQ scores. Also18% of the patients showed moderate anxiety, 9% mild anxiety and 9% showed severe anxiety. Conclusion The results of our study showed that even in cases of iron overload which affects vital organs as the liver, cardiac and brain iron overload don't occur.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Wangelu Kebede ◽  

Backyard poultry production are considered as sources of meat and egg production. However, Parasites are among the main pathogenic agents, threatening the health of poultry and poultry products. The current study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasite of poultry managed under backyard system started from November 2019 to April 2020 in Bishoftu town, surroundings of four kebeles; Babogaya, Danbi, 01kebele and 05 kebele in Oromia region South east of Finfinnee. 384 chickens of different age groups, both sexes and breeds were examined. Overall, 228/384 (59.4%) of chickens were infested with species of ectoparasites that mainly grouped into lice 141(36.7%), flea 79 (20.6%), and mite 8(2.1%). The prevalence of ectoparasite infection was 56(14.6%), 51(13.3%), 58(15.1%) and 63(16.4)% in Bishoftu town, Babogaya, Danbi, 01kebele and 05 kebele respectively, the difference in the prevalence of the parasites among difference kebeles were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The prevalence of ectoparasites infestation was higher in male 128(33.33%) chickens than females 100(26.04%) and higher in adult 150 (39.1%) than young chicken 78 (20.3%), high in local breeds 129(33.6%) than exotic breed 99 (25.8%). Seven species were identified with their attachments site, namely; menacanthus stremineus(13.3%) was found on skin, menopon gallinae(12.5%) was found on skin, thigh, feather and breast, goniodes gigas(5.5%) was found on skin and body feather, gonicotes gallinae (2.9%) was found on feather, lipeurus caponus(2.6%) was found on wing, skin, tail feather and a single species of flea(Echidnophaga gallinacae) 20.6% was found on eye, comb and wattle. while a single species of mite (ornithonyssus sylviarum) 2.1% was found on base of feather particularly, the vent area. In conclusion, infestation of chicken with ectoparasites was important constraint in poultry production sector. Associated with lack of attention with respect to hygienic system, treatment and control practices. Based on the results it could be suggested that, good management, biosecurity and the education of farmers could be a vital measure to keep free from ectoparasites and improve the productivity of the chicken.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Wang ◽  
Riccardo M Inciardi ◽  
Faye L Norby ◽  
Michael J Zhang ◽  
Jorge L Reyes ◽  
...  

Introduction: Black Americans have more atrial fibrillation (AF) risk factors but lower AF risk than whites. Left atrial (LA) enlargement, impaired LA function, frequent premature atrial contractions (PAC), and atrial tachycardia (AT) are risk factors for AF. Racial differences in LA size and function, PAC, or AT may exist that could explain the difference in AF risk. Hypothesis: Whites have higher PAC and AT frequency than blacks. Additionally, whites have larger LA size and lower LA function than blacks, which may contribute to the racial difference in AF. Methods: We included 1,623 ARIC participants free of AF who had 2D-echocardiograms at visit 5 (2011-2013) and wore a 2-week continuous heart monitor, the Zio ® XT Patch, at visit 6 (2016-2017). Weighted linear regression was used to analyze the association of race with LA size and function, as well as runs of AT per day and PAC per hour. Results: At visit 5, participants were 74 (4) years old, 58% were female, and 26% were black. AT runs were detected in 87% of blacks and 92% of whites, respectively (p=0.002). Among participants with >0 runs of AT per day (n=1480), blacks had 48% (95% CI: 21%-66%) fewer runs of AT per day than whites after adjustment for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors † . There was no significant difference in PAC frequency between blacks and whites. After adjusting for age and sex, blacks had greater LA size and lower LA function than whites; these differences attenuated after adjusting for CV risk factors (Table). Conclusion: Blacks have greater age and sex-adjusted abnormality in LA size and function than whites, likely due to higher prevalence of CV risk factors. Yet, blacks have lower propensity for AT. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the resistance to atrial arrhythmogenesis in blacks despite greater adverse LA remodeling.


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