Effects of surface processing of artificial diets before egg seeding and the type of absorbent paper placed on the diet after egg seeding on survival of the West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Abstract

To improve the artificial rearing technique for Euscepes postfasciatus, we investigated the effects of surface processing of artificial diets before egg seeding and the type of absorbent paper placed on the diet after egg seeding on survival and development of the species. Two surface-processing methods (grooving in a cross-hatched pattern and punching many holes) and two types of absorbent paper (Kimwipes® and filter paper) were tested. Compared to the diet that was not surface processed, neither grooving nor punching significantly affected the survival rate when Kimwipes was used. When the diet surface was grooved, the survival rate with the use of filter paper was comparable to that with the use of Kimwipes; when the filter paper was used with non-processed or punched diet, the survival rate drastically decreased. A combination of non-processed diet and Kimwipes was considered to be the best for mass rearing of E. postfasciatus in terms of ensuring a higher survival rate of insects and reducing labor cost.