Development of the black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) in relation to temperature. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L., was reared on a grain-based diet at 27, 30, and 36 degrees C. Survival of 4- to 6-d-old larvae to adults averaged 74-97% at 27 and 30 degrees C but was only 0.1% at 36 degrees C. Flies required a mean of approximately 4 d (11%) longer to complete larval and pupal development at 27 degrees C than at 30 degrees C. At 27 and 30 degrees C, females weighed an average of 17-19% more than males but required an average of 0.6-0.8 d (3.0-4.3%) longer to complete larval development. At both temperatures, adult females lived an average of approximately 3.5 d less than adult males. The duration of larval development was a significant predictor of adult longevity. Temperature differences of even 3 degrees C produce significant fitness tradeoffs for males and females, influencing life history attributes and having practical applications for forensic entomology.

published proceedings

  • Environ Entomol

altmetric score

  • 9

author list (cited authors)

  • Tomberlin, J. K., Adler, P. H., & Myers, H. M.

citation count

  • 191

complete list of authors

  • Tomberlin, Jeffery K||Adler, Peter H||Myers, Heidi M

publication date

  • June 2009