<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
Chris,<div><br></div><div>I had success mating and rearing a few of the important aphid feeding species in Salinas a few years ago. Sphaerophoria spp.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; "> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 18px; ">and Toxomerus spp.were easy. I used 5 gallon plastic buckets with ventilation in the sides as well as a sleeve opening and a clear plastic top. I used flowering alyssum plants for pollen and streaked honey on the sides. I then placed aphid infested lettuce plants into the cage and the females would readily oviposit on them. I changed them daily and hatched the eggs in a growth chamber.</span></span></div><div><br></div><div>I can provide more details if you would like.</div><div><br></div><div>Bill Chaney</div><div>Entomology Farm Advisor, retired</div><div>University of California</div><div><br></div><div><div><div>On Jun 15, 2009, at 5:55 AM, Chris Bergh wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Greetings,</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I am in need of any information or advice regarding mating syrphids in captivity (any species would be fine, although I work with a Pipizine). This information could be from cage studies or (ideally) under quarantine conditions. As well, if any of you have any information or records regarding parasitism of any Pipizine syrphid by any Diplazon species, that would be most useful, too.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks very much for your help. - Chris</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">J. Christopher Bergh</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Associate Professor of Entomology</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Virginia Tech AHS-AREC</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">595 Laurel Grove Road</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Winchester, VA 22602</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Tel (540) 869-2560 xt.32</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Fax (540) 869-0862<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">_______________________________________________</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Syrphidae mailing list</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="mailto:Syrphidae@lists.nottingham.ac.uk">Syrphidae@lists.nottingham.ac.uk</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/syrphidae">http://lists.nottingham.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/syrphidae</a></div> </blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>