PROLONGED STORAGE OF CHRYSOPERLA-CARNEA (NEUROPTERA, CHRYSOPIDAE)

Diapausing adults of Chrysoperla carnea Stephens were stored at low te mperature (5-degrees-C) under short daylengths (10:14 [L:D] h) for 31 wk with little maintenance. Rates of survival were very high (almost-e qual-to 97%), and both males and females retained high reproductive po tential. Shortly after transfer to warm, long-day conditions, >90% of the pairs produced fertile eggs: initiation of oviposition after stora ge was synchronous and predictable. Subsequently, depending on the dur ation of storage, females oviposited an average of 230-350 eggs during the first 30 d of oviposition (almost-equal-to 50-70% of the eggs pro duced by unstored females). Except for one group that was stored for 3 1 wk, high levels of fertile oviposition persisted for almost-equal-to 45 d after storage. Cold storage of C. carnea benefits biological con trol efforts by providing flexibility and efficiency in mass-productio n to meet peak seasonal demands for eggs or young larvae; an alternati ve method of shipping C. carnea to distributors who choose to harvest eggs (or young larvae) for sale; and a reserve supply of stock if inse ctary colonies fail or dwindle. It also makes standardized stock avail able for use in long-term ecological, physiological, or genetic resear ch.