Dataset Information

Do It by Yourself: Larval Locomotion in the Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens, with a Novel "Self-Harvesting" Method to Separate Prepupae.

ABSTRACT: The neotropical insect Hermetia illucens has become a cosmopolite species, and it is considered a highly promising insect in circular and sustainable economic processes. Being able to feed on a wide variety of organic substrates, it represents a source of lipids and proteins for many uses and produces recyclable waste. We investigated the characteristics and differences in the poorly-known locomotory behaviour of larvae of different instars, paying particular attention to the unique characteristics of the prepupal stage, key to farming and industrial processes. Moreover, we attempted to develop a "self-harvesting" system relying on the behavioural traits of prepupae to obtain their separation from younger larvae under rearing condition with minimum effort. Prepupae differ from younger larvae in their response to physical disturbance in the form of tonic immobility and significantly differ in their locomotory movements. Both prepupae and younger larvae reacted similarly to heat or light-induced stress, but low light and high moisture induced only prepupae to migrate away, which resulted in the development of a highly efficient separation methodology. The new data on the behaviour of H. illucens not only shed new light on some unexplored aspects of its biology, but also led to develop an inexpensive self-harvesting system that can be implemented in small-scale and industrial farming.

SUBMITTER: Giannetti D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8879302 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Do It by Yourself: Larval Locomotion in the Black Soldier Fly <i>Hermetia illucens</i>, with a Novel "Self-Harvesting" Method to Separate Prepupae.

Giannetti Daniele D Schifani Enrico E Reggiani Roberto R Mazzoni Emanuele E Reguzzi Maria Cristina MC Castracani Cristina C Spotti Fiorenza A FA Giardina Beatrice B Mori Alessandra A Grasso Donato A DA

Insects 20220125 2

The neotropical insect <i>Hermetia illucens</i> has become a cosmopolite species, and it is considered a highly promising insect in circular and sustainable economic processes. Being able to feed on a wide variety of organic substrates, it represents a source of lipids and proteins for many uses and produces recyclable waste. We investigated the characteristics and differences in the poorly-known locomotory behaviour of larvae of different instars, paying particular attention to the unique chara ...[more]

PMID: 35206701

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Project description:The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (L., 1758) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), is an endemic fly species from the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate zones of America. This saprophagous species relies on its environment where it finds the decomposing matter for the larvae to grow. The polyphagous diet and the macronutrient quality (mainly lipids and proteins) of these larvae make them excellent candidates for various applications such as waste and organic material management, incorporation in animal feed or alternative energy source. Although rearing development in temperate regions requires artificial processes to continuously produce high quality eggs and larvae, few studies have been conducted on the mating and oviposition processes governing H. illucens reproduction. Research conducted in semi-artificial rearing conditions showed that the number of mating varied according to the season. It has been speculated that this behavior could be due to differences in the intensity of sunlight caused by the change of seasons. This study aims at evaluating the influence of sex-ratio, density and nycthemeral cycle on H. illucens reproduction. In order to tackle this issue, an artificial set up for oviposition to collect eggs has been developed. This egg collection system aims at centralize oviposition and simplify eggs collection. Two populations with opposite sex-ratio (male-dominant and female-dominant) were selected. Their respective eggs productions have been evaluated for five breeding densities. Eggs weights varied significantly among the densities for each opposite sex-ratio population and female dominant population produced most eggs weight from 6500 individuals /m3. Finally, four nycthemeral cycles (2, 6, 12 and 18h of daily light) were simulated to evaluate the impact of light duration on reproduction. Early oviposition pic associated with a decrease of the oviposition period are shown when H. illucens are exposed to increasing light duration. These experiments enable improvement of the understanding on artificial reproduction of H. illucens.

Dataset Information

Do It by Yourself: Larval Locomotion in the Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens, with a Novel "Self-Harvesting" Method to Separate Prepupae.

Publications

Do It by Yourself: Larval Locomotion in the Black Soldier Fly <i>Hermetia illucens</i>, with a Novel "Self-Harvesting" Method to Separate Prepupae.

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