Advances in rearing ofLixophaga diatraeae [Dipt.: Tachinidae

Abstract

Larvae ofDiatraea saccharalis (F) were reared on artificial diet in 30-ml cups (1–3 larvae/cup). Adults of the larviparous tachinid parasite,Lixophaga diatraeae (Townsend), were removed from emergence and holding cages with a modified vacuum sweeper. Maggots were extracted from 10 to 14-day-old female flies, that had been disinfected with 1% NaOCl by one of two methods. In method I, fly uteri were removed and placed in a 10-ml vial containing a 0.15% agar-water solution with 3–4 glass beads; rapid vibration of the vial ruptured the uteri and distributed the maggots in the agar solution. In method 2, whole flies were blended with 50-ml water in a blender, and maggots were separated from fly particles by screening; then they were suspended in the agar solution. A procedure was devised for determining the number of maggots obtained by each method. The maggot-agar solution was injected into cups containing host larvae and maggots sought out and parasitized the host larvae; however, the percentage producing puparia generally decreased with increases of host larva and/or maggot density. Puparia were harvested from cups by hand and washed in 1% NaOCl to disinfect and destroy host larval webbing.