Mass Rearing of the Onion Maggot, Hylemya antiqua, Under Laboratory Conditions1

Abstract

A technique for continuous mass rearing of the onion maggot, Hylemya antiqua (Meigen), under laboratory conditions is reported. The adults were reared in 26×21×18-in. cages with plastic screen tops and sides and glass panels at the front and rear. Adult food consisted of honey applied to a cylinder of plastic screen suspended from the top of the cage, and a dry mixture of soybean flour and brewers’ yeast offered in petri dishes. The adults were maintained at a temperature and relative humidity of 78±1° F. and 50±5%, respectively, during 16 hours of light, and 73±1° F. and 65±10% during 8 hours of darkness. The flies oviposited in flats of sprouting onion halves. Larval development was completed in 15 days at 78±3° F. By the methods described 21,780 pupae per month were produced from 2 cultures of 1000 flies each, with a time expenditure of 42.4 man-hours per month. Equally excellent production was obtained from both cyelodiene-resistant and cyelodiene-susceptible strains.