A New Insect Rearing Container for in vivo Mass Multiplication of NPV of Hyblaea puera

Abstract

To overcome the problems in rearing the teak defoliator, Hyblaea puera on artificial diet in a two-piece rearing tube for HpNPV mass multiplication, a new three-piece tube was designed and evaluated. The two-piece tube (Tube A) consists of two parts - a cylindrical main body with one end open (55mm x 23mm) and a perforated cap. The three-piece tube (Tube B) consists of a main body with both ends open (55mm % 23mm), a diet cup (20mm % 22mm) and a perforated cap. Comparative evaluation of two types of tubes (main body of Tube A vs Diet cup of Tube B) was made in terms of their virus capture efficiency during inoculation and also easiness in diet dispensing and general handling. The short length of the diet cup of tube B favored highest virus capturing (added 30%) and efficient diet dispensing. Tube B could be an excellent option for rearing H. puera larvae for NPV mass production and laboratory culture maintenance and also for rearing of other lepidopteran larvae of similar behavior and size.