Improved Laboratory Methods for Rearing the Boll Weevil12

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A disposable bacteriological capillary tube provided a simple and gentle method of implanting eggs of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, onto artificial diet. The technique is equally adaptable to maintenance of small cultures and to mass-rearing programs. Eggs were collected from cotton squares (flower buds) by chopping the squares in water with a household food chopper. The eggs were removed, surface sterilized, and submerged in sterile water in a sterile petri dish. The egg-water suspension was drawn into a disposable bacteriological capillary tube and ejected onto the scratched surface of larval diet in petri dishes. The Petri dishes containing the eggs and diet were held 14-17 days at 26 for development, after which the adults were removed and held in cartons for feeding and egg production. The moisture content of diet before eggs were implanted was the most important of the conditions investigated in determining the percentage of adults that were obtained.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: