IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM FOR GREEN LACEWINGS - AN ADULT FEEDING AND OVIPOSITION UNIT AND HOT-WIRE EGG HARVESTING SYSTEM

Green lacewings (Chrysoperla spp.) are used in augmentative release pr ograms against a variety of arthropod pests. As part of an ongoing res earch program to improve the mass production technology for green lace wings, an ''Adult Feeding and Oviposition Unit'' (AFOU) and a hot wire egg harvesting system were developed. The AFOU is a cylindrical unit, which can be unrolled to facilitate egg harvest with a hot wire syste m. The hot wire egg harvesting system consists of two devices, one of which uses a pneumatic cylinder to pull the cylinder portion of the AF OU past the hot wire and the other which is used to harvest eggs from the top of the AFOU. These improvements make adult handling and egg ha rvesting easier. The improved system requires less manual labor than t he conventional paper cartons and manual egg harvesting system commonl y used in the United States. Egg recovery was higher when a hot wire e gg harvesting system was used than when the traditional loose ball of nylon netting was used. There was no difference in the percentage hatc h of eggs recovered with either of these systems or with a sodium hypo chlorite based egg harvesting system. This equipment may provide the b asis for an automated adult handling and egg harvesting system for the mass production of green lacewings. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.