Storage of nondiapausing Chrysoperla externa adults: influence on survival and reproduction

Chrysoperla externa, a species with great potential for mass rearing and use in augmentative biological control, harbors traits that underlie efficient long-term storage. Although they did not enter diapause, adults of the Honduran population that were kept at 10 degrees C had a "shelf life" (high survival) of at least 4 months. After storage, reproduction began quickly, predictably, and with little variation among individuals. The poststorage oviposition rate was high and declined only when adults had been stored for 4 months. Some other C. externa populations exhibit diapause and therefore may have a much longer shelf life