Cold storage of diapausing larvae and post-storage performance of adults in the blowfly Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

A worldwide decline in the number of managed honeybee Apis mellifera Linnaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies has increased our reliance on alternative insects for crop pollination. Costs of large-scale rearing and storage are among the major obstacles limiting the use of other insect species for pollination services. Recently, the blowfly Lucilia sericata (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has been identified as a potential alternative to the honeybee; development of storage techniques for this species would significantly improve its commercial viability as a managed pollinator. In this study, we investigated the effects of diapause and cold storage on L. sericata for mass rearing. We found that diapausing larvae could be stored at 7.5 °C for several months with low mortality. The effects of cold storage on adult emergence depended on the strain of the fly tested. Adult survival was comparable between directly developing flies and flies that underwent diapause and cold storage until day 15 post-emergence. Adult locomotor activity (essential for effective pollination) was comparable between direct development and cold storage treatments. Based on these results, we propose the implementation of diapause and cold storage in L. sericata mass production for pollination although further improvements are needed.