Inducing Mating and Oviposition of the Warble Flies Hypoderma bovis (L.) and H. lineatum (De Vill.) (Diptera: Oestridae) in Captivity

Abstract

Certain investigations of the cattle grubs Hypoderma bovis (L.) and H. lineatum (De Vill.) have been hampered by difficulties in inducing the flies to mate and oviposit in captivity. For example, Parish (1955, 1957) suggested that infesting cattle with standard numbers of grubs would facilitate properly controlled experiments with therapeutic agents, and hc attempted artificial insemination of the female flies toward this objective. In addition, procedures that would induce mating and oviposition in thc laboratory could be used to analyse the reproductive behavior of the flies and the characteiistics of the resulting cattle grub populations.