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Oozymus
sokolowskii |
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Oomyzus is
a very tiny insect which is also a larval parasite of DBM. |
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Place 100 Oomyzus pupae in a small
petri dish inside a 15-cm-diameter, 30-cm-long acrylic or plastic
cylinder. Also place absorbent cotton soaked in honey solution
in a small petri dish inside the cylinder. Oomyzus adults
emerging from pupae will feed on the solution. Oomyzus
rearing can be done at the same temperature as for Cotesia,
26 to 28 °C. |
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Place about 200-300 4th instar DBM larvae
(normally 8 to 8.5 mm long) on two fresh cabbage leaves, the
petioles of which are wrapped in moist absorbent cotton covered
with aluminum foil. |
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Place the leaves in the cylinder containing
the Oomyzus adults. Keep the DBM larvae inside the cylinder
for 24 to 48 hours. Oomyzus adults will lay eggs in the
DBM larvae during this time. |
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After 48 hours, all parasitized larvae will
start becoming Oomyzus pupae. Initially both Oomyzus
and DBM pupae are similar. However, after five days, Oomyzus
pupae darken, whereas DBM pupae remain light brown until adult
emergence. |
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Tiny, black, Oomyzus adults, barely
visible to the naked eye, emerge from pupae after 15 to 18 days. |
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