title: Desiccation and cold storage of Galleria mellonella cadavers and effects on in vivo production of Steinernema carpocapsae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Direct application of insect cadavers infected with entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) can successfully control target pest insects. Little is known about the effects of environmental factors (desiccation and temperature) on the production process for infective juveniles (IJ) in insects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We examined the effects of desiccation time and cold storage (6.7 °C) on IJ production of the nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in Galleria mellonella cadavers at 30.8 and 57% humidity. Under desiccation, the IJ yield in cadavers increased gradually and reached a maximum on day 5. IJ yield gradually declined from day 6 onwards and was almost zero by day 15. In general, cold storage at 6.7 °C caused negative effects on IJ production in desiccated cadavers. Approximately 56 h post infection was the time at which nematodes were most sensitive to low temperatures during development in cadavers. Five-day desiccated cadavers generated higher mortality and more rapid death of Galleria mellonella larvae than using newly (day 0) desiccated cadavers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study describe methods of optimizing rearing techniques such as desiccation and cold storage to promote the mass production and application of EPN- infected host cadavers for the field control of insect pests.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qing-zhou
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xi-yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Ri-yue
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yan-bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Guo-chao
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Dong-min
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wei-bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003890:Desiccation; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D009036:Moths / Q000469:parasitology; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D017168:Rhabditida / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: biological control; cadaver; cold storage; mortality; virulence