Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity
The black soldier fly, <i>Hermetia illucens</i> (BSF; Diptera: Stratiomyidae), has come into the focus of research over the past decade since its larvae are polyphagous feeders with an exceptional substrate range, making them a promising candidate for the bioconversion of various organic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/2/355 |
| _version_ | 1797619856134111232 |
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| author | Patrick Klüber Emna Arous Holger Zorn Martin Rühl |
| author_facet | Patrick Klüber Emna Arous Holger Zorn Martin Rühl |
| author_sort | Patrick Klüber |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The black soldier fly, <i>Hermetia illucens</i> (BSF; Diptera: Stratiomyidae), has come into the focus of research over the past decade since its larvae are polyphagous feeders with an exceptional substrate range, making them a promising candidate for the bioconversion of various organic side streams into valuable insect protein. While larval nutritional requirements have been studied in detail, basic information on adult feeding is still lacking. The reproduction of adult flies is a bottleneck and key determinant in rearing BSF, which has extensive potential for improvement. In the present study, we examined the impact of different carbohydrate (honey and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucose) and protein sources (<i>Spirulina</i> and <i>Chlorella</i> powder) on a variety of life history traits using a highly standardized single pair approach. Feeding a 5% honey solution was shown to make females live 2.8 d longer, become more fecund (9 egg clutches per 10 females), lay more eggs (increasing 1.7-fold to 182.4 mg per 10 females), reduce the number of failed oviposition events 3-fold and increase multiple oviposition events from 2 to 15. Additionally, female longevity after oviposition improved 1.7-fold from 6.7 to 11.5 d. In order to further optimize adult feeding, mixtures of proteins and carbohydrates with varying ratios should be tested. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:32:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c32857101d0545bd99af39612faea64e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:32:48Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-c32857101d0545bd99af39612faea64e2023-11-16T21:40:04ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292023-01-0113235510.3390/life13020355Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg ProductivityPatrick Klüber0Emna Arous1Holger Zorn2Martin Rühl3Branch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, GermanyBranch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, GermanyBranch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, GermanyBranch for Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME), 35392 Giessen, GermanyThe black soldier fly, <i>Hermetia illucens</i> (BSF; Diptera: Stratiomyidae), has come into the focus of research over the past decade since its larvae are polyphagous feeders with an exceptional substrate range, making them a promising candidate for the bioconversion of various organic side streams into valuable insect protein. While larval nutritional requirements have been studied in detail, basic information on adult feeding is still lacking. The reproduction of adult flies is a bottleneck and key determinant in rearing BSF, which has extensive potential for improvement. In the present study, we examined the impact of different carbohydrate (honey and <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">d</span>-glucose) and protein sources (<i>Spirulina</i> and <i>Chlorella</i> powder) on a variety of life history traits using a highly standardized single pair approach. Feeding a 5% honey solution was shown to make females live 2.8 d longer, become more fecund (9 egg clutches per 10 females), lay more eggs (increasing 1.7-fold to 182.4 mg per 10 females), reduce the number of failed oviposition events 3-fold and increase multiple oviposition events from 2 to 15. Additionally, female longevity after oviposition improved 1.7-fold from 6.7 to 11.5 d. In order to further optimize adult feeding, mixtures of proteins and carbohydrates with varying ratios should be tested.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/2/355black soldier flyinsect rearingrearing methodovipositionreproductionmating |
| spellingShingle | Patrick Klüber Emna Arous Holger Zorn Martin Rühl Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity Life black soldier fly insect rearing rearing method oviposition reproduction mating |
| title | Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity |
| title_full | Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity |
| title_fullStr | Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity |
| title_short | Protein- and Carbohydrate-Rich Supplements in Feeding Adult Black Soldier Flies (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Affect Life History Traits and Egg Productivity |
| title_sort | protein and carbohydrate rich supplements in feeding adult black soldier flies i hermetia illucens i affect life history traits and egg productivity |
| topic | black soldier fly insect rearing rearing method oviposition reproduction mating |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/2/355 |
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