[Syrphidae] Finding Female Episyrphus

[Frank Dziock]

Hi Matthew,

maybe you would like to think about a commercial option too. As you 
know, E. balteatus is being used in biological pest control and 
therefore you can buy them from specialised "hoverfly farms", e.g.

http://www.nuetzlinge.de/produkte/nuetzlinge/episyrphus_balteatus_schwebfliege.html

http://www.katzbiotech.de/info/nuetzling/episyrphus_balteatus.php

for example 500 eggs for 11 EUROS!

Maybe this has the good side effect, that all specimens have 
approximately the same nutritional condition and similar genetic 
condition for your experiments!? Of course this depends on your research 
questions.

Best wishes from Potsdam,

Frank




Am 08.06.2010 19:33, schrieb Perkins, Matthew:
> Hello,
> Sorry to trouble you, I am trying to catch female Episyrphus balteatus
> so that I can produce a supply of eggs in the lab. However I am having
> trouble finding any. I have located and caught plenty of males hovering
> under trees and bushes in hedgerows and parkland, but an extensive
> search of hedgrerow flower banks and buttercup fields has revealed no
> females. I wondered if anyone had any good tips for finding females -
> such as their favourite habitats or food plant species? I have managed
> to collect many female Syrphus ribesii amongst nettles and flowers in
> sunny hedge banks...but no Episyrphus.
> Any help would be greatly appreciated as Im waiting on them to construct
> food chains in the lab.
> Kind regards,
> Matt Perkins
> PhD Researcher
> Center for Ecology & Conservation
> The University of Exeter
>
>
>
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> Syrphidae mailing list
> Syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
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-- 

Prof. Dr. Frank Dziock
Animal Ecologist and Head of Department (Juniorprofessor)

Department of Biodiversity Dynamics
Technische Universitaet Berlin
Sekr. AB 1
Rothenburgstr. 12
D - 12165 Berlin
Germany

Tel: 030 – 314 71368

Secretary Gisela Falk
gisela.falk at tu-berlin.de
Tel: 030 - 314 71350
Fax: 030 – 314 71355

http://www.biodiv.tu-berlin.de/


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