Improvements in the Production System for Green Lacewings: An Adult Feeding and Oviposition Unit and Hot Wire Egg Harvesting System

Green lacewings (Chrysoperla spp.) are used in augmentative release programs against a variety of arthropod pests. As part of an ongoing research program to improve the mass production technology for green lacewings, an "Adult Feeding and Oviposition Unit" (AFOU) and a hot wire egg harvesting system were developed. The AFOU is a cylindrical unit, which can be unrolled to facilitate egg harvest with a hot wire system. The hot wire egg harvesting system consists of two devices, one of which uses a pneumatic cylinder to pull the cylinder portion of the AFOU past the hot wire and the other which is used to harvest eggs from the top of the AFOU. These improvements make adult handling and egg harvesting easier. The improved system requires less manual labor than the conventional paper cartons and manual egg harvesting system commonly used in the United States. Egg recovery was higher when a hot wire egg harvesting system was used than when the traditional loose ball of nylon netting was used. There was no difference in the percentage hatch of eggs recovered with either of these systems or with a sodium hypochlorite based egg harvesting system. This equipment may provide the basis for an automated adult handling and egg harvesting system for the mass production of green lacewings.