A liquid larval diet and its rearing system for Bactrocera fruit fly production were developed. The diet was composed of brewer’s yeast, sugar, antifungal agents (sodium benzoate and nipagen), citric acid, and distilled water. Sponge cloth in rearing trays was used as a support substrate that alleviates the need for the traditional (mill feed) bulking agent. Larval rearing of B. cucurbitae on this diet resulted in 84.47 % mean pupal recovery, 91.56% mean pupal weight, 96.78% mean pupal density, 106.65% mean adult emergence, 101.49% mean fliers, and 107.41% mean egg hatchability compared to those from the control mill feed diet. Pupal recovery increased with yeast concentrations up to 14.2%. With this liquid diet and its substrate system, the problem of managing spent diet is greatly reduced because the requirement for a pesticide-free bulking agent is obviated; diet material storage space, time and labor are saved, and contamination by Drosophila is reduced tremendously. A liquid diet not only streamlines the mass rearing operational process but also promotes overall cost efficiency, especially for the sterile insect technology (SIT) programs. Moreover, this technology may be applied to rearing other insects.
Species 1: Diptera Tephritidae Bactrocera cucurbitae (Melon fruit fly)
Keywords: liquid diet
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