Mass production of the entomogenous nematode Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) on artificial media [Biological control of the phytopathogenic pests: Agrotis ypsilon aneituma, Heteronychus arator, Spodoptera litura, Wiseana cervinata]

Heterorhabditis heliothidis is reared monoxenically on an artificial medium consisting of commercially available nutrient broth, yeast extract, and vegetable oil. These components are cooked with flour and coated onto polyether polyurethane sponge, autoclaved, inoculated with a suspension of the bacterial symbiont of the nematode, and incubated at 25 C for 3 d. The bacterial garden on sponge provides an excellent rearing medium. Up to 10 million infective juveniles are produced per 250 ml rearing flask in one month.