Have a look at our Organic Liquefying Press OLP if you are looking for a solution to gain virtually pure organics from waste. When the insect larvae have reached the desired stage, they need to be separated from the remains of the food and insect manure, the so-called frass. That's where our Rotoshifter comes in. The Rotoshifter allows larvae separation based on size and weight by combining two proven separation technologies. The Rotoshifter can process a volume of up to 20 m 3 per hour, depending on - and adjustable by - several variables.
The mix of insect larvae and frass is fed through the top of the Rotoshifter. Next, a screw transports them to the Rotoshifter cabin. Here, they are sorted using air- and rotational forces and several drum screens simultaneously. That is why mass rearing of insects is such an important part of conducting research, to achieve the best results. At ARC-Grain Crops a number of maize economical important insect pests are mass reared under controlled conditions with the purpose of evaluating chemical insecticides, seed treatments, cultivars and genetically modified crops against key insect pests.
In other instances, plants can be screened for resistance to insects, indicating plants that tolerate insect damage better.
The insect pests reared are the four most important stem borer species in Africa, the Africa maize stem borer Busseola fusca , Chilo borer Chilo partellus , sugarcane borer Eldana saccharin a and the pink stem borer Sesamia calamistis. The Africa bollworm Helicoverpa armigera , common cutworm Agrotis segetum , false wire worm Somaticus angulatus and the fall army worm Spodoptera frugiperda are also some of the common insect pests reared at this facility.
To enable insect rearing in the laboratory, insects must be sampled and collected in the field. Artificial diets are implemented for the continuous rearing of insects all year round. However, contamination of these diets is often of huge concern that can only be curbed by limiting any human exposure and access. Important information can be observed while rearing insects for example their lifespan, duration of life stages, feeding behaviour and preferences, reproduction and the effect of biotic factors such as cold on the insect.
Susceptibility to biological and chemical insecticides can be monitored and can give early warning if resistance develops within a pest species. Important discoveries are made by monitoring insect pests, for example the migration of different stem borer larvae vary significantly between species.
One pest may spread across a greater distance faster than another species. Some insect pests like the African maize stem borer have a short life cycle and may occur several times throughout a growing season. In research, insect pests must be investigated using high numbers of individuals to evaluate all potential control methods. In SIT, large numbers of insects have to be reared and released repeatedly.
Insects have highly varied habits and habitats. Their size ranges from a millimetre to over a hand span long and their food and feeding habits are equally variable.
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