LABORATORY STUDIES ON BLOW FLY (Lucilia cuprina) (WIEDEMANN) (DIPTERA: CALLIPHORIDAE) IN RELATION TO STERILE INSECT TECHNIQUE (SIT): REARING MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Laboratory mass production of quality insect is one of the prerequisite of the successilil application of sterile insect technique (SIT) and insect pest management. Attempts were made to produce quality insect Lucilia cuprina that infest marine fish in the offshore Islands during the process oldrying. As a part of rearing management, adult longevity and pupal quality of the insect were evaluated for L. cuprina in diflerent food media and at different food stress and strain on the colony. Longevity of adult in both sexes either derived from non-irradiated and irradiated pupae was found to be varied with the supply of foods. Longevity range was 5 days at postemergence when no loods were supplied, the range was (S days when only water was supplied to the colony. Then range of longevity was found to be 10 days in fish only, 19 days in water-fish. 37 days in water-sugar, 37 days in water-sugar-blood. 46 days in wacr-sugar-fish, 49 days in water-sugar-liver respectively. Longevity of adults was found to be similar when irradiated pupae were reared in the above food regimes. However, in general mortality started 1-2 days early in case of irradiated pupae. The peak mortality in the above Ihod media were at day with no food, only water day4. only fish day-S and day-7, water-fish day-5, water-sugar day-17 to 23. But there were no regular peak when supplied water-sugar-blood, water-sugar-fish, watersugar-liver. Mortality trend in the sexes were similar, however, the apparently the males had early mortality. Pupae lost about 22% of their weight during the period of 4-days from pre-pupate to pre-emerge. In an attempt to develop a cheaper larval rearing medium, different grades poultry feeds available in the market i.e.; Imported Poultry Feed (1FF). Marine Poultry Feed (MPF), Local Poultry Feed (LPF) were used at different proportions, with natural food (liver) to produce quality pupae. None of these were found to be superior to the natural Ihod medium as indicated by pupal weight. However, IPF could be mixed up to fifty percent (1:1) with no loss in pupal quality.