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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #174029
Title: ENHANCED EGG LAYING IN ADULT PREDATORS FED ARTIFICIAL DIET SUPPLEMENTED WITH AN EMBYONIC CELL DERIVED FROM EGGS OF EPHESTIA KUENIELLA ZELLER (LEPIDOPTERA: PYRALIDAE)

Author
item Ferkovich, Stephen
item Lynn, Dwight

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/10/2005
Publication Date: 9/28/2005
Citation: Ferkovich, S.M., Lynn, D.E. 2005. Enhanced egg laying in adult predators fed artificial diet supplemented with an embyonic cell derived from eggs of Ephestia kueniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Florida Entomologist. 88:329-331.

Interpretive Summary: The insidiosus flower bug, is a polyphagous feeder on thrips, aphids, mites, whiteflies and insect eggs and small larvae on a variety of crops, shrubs, fruit trees and is used extensively in greenhouses. The predator is produced on insect eggs by over 33 commercial producers of beneficials. Scientists at the Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology, ARS, Gainesville, FL are developing a dietary supplement so that the predator can be reared on an artificial diet at a substantially lower cost. Although the predator can be reared on an artificial diet, the fecundity of the females is poor. A cell line derived from moth eggs, a widely used food by bio-producers for rearing beneficials, significantly improves fecundity of the predator. The results suggest that future research should focus on testing the cells as dietary supplements for other species of predators reared on artificial diets. The scientists also plan to investigate the potential of large-scale cell production of the cell line as well as methods of preserving and packaging the cells to facilitate shipping and storage.

Technical Abstract: We investigated a new cell line derived from eggs of Ephestia kueniella Zeller as a supplement to an artifical diet for the insidious flower bug, Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). The Ek-x 4V cell line was compared with another embryonic cell line, PiE derived from Plodia interpunctella (Hübner). The Ek-x4V line grew as multicellular vesicles in contrast to the PiE line and did not produce sufficient cell growth in spinner flasks for higher production of the cells. Harvested cells of both cell lines were added to artificial diet and the effects of the cell supplements were bioassayed as described earlier. Adults of O. insidiosis were allowed to feed on the diets for six days then the rate of oviposition was determined during a 24 hr oviposition period. The Ek-x4V line significantly enhanced the average rate of oviposition relative to the control artificial diet at 52 mg protein/ml of diet and was comparable to the PiE line in improving the fecundity of females fed the diet. The average number of eggs oviposited by females fed on Ephestia eggs, artificial diet (control), Ek-x4V diet, and PiE diet were 8.8 ± 0.2, 4.6 ± 0.2, 6.7 ± 0.4, and 7.6 ± 0.5 eggs/', respectively.