Vacuum-Pencil Technique for Manipulating Small Lepidopterous Larvae1

Abstract

During studies made on insect virus diseases a method was developed to produce large numbers of newly hatched larvae of the red-banded leaf roller, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker), on a daily basis (Glass and Hervey 1962). A technique for handling the newly hatched larvae was needed. It was found possible to transfer individual larvae from 1 vial to another with a small camel's hair brush. This method was not satisfactory, however, for topical treatments in toxicological studies. The use of a vacuum pencil described here has provided a satisfactory solution of this problem.