DESCRIPTION OF GREEN LACEWING NEUROPTERA, CHRYSOPIDAE ADULT FEEDING AND OVIPOSITION UNITS AND A SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE-BASED EGG HARVESTING SYSTEM

Cylindrical and cubic Adult Feeding and Oviposition Units (AFOUs) for Chrysoperla spp. were developed that contain ca. 5.4 and 9.3 times the internal surface area (with higher internal surface:volume ratios) of the traditional 11.36 liter (3 gal) cardboard AFOU. These new AFOUs c an hold ca. 2,500 and 4,500 adults, respectively, compared to ca. 500 adults in the traditional AFOU. A device that uses CO2 to anesthetize adults was developed to facilitate transfer of adults from one AFOU to another. Harvest of eggs from both new AFOUs involved use of a sodium hypochlorite-based egg harvesting procedure. Egg harvest takes only c a. 1 min per unit and yields essentially stalk-free eggs.