IMPROVED TECHNIQUES FOR LABORATORY REARING OF THE SPINY BOLLWORM, Earias insulana (BOISDUVAL) (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE)

Modifications were made in rearing technique of the spiny bollworm, Earias insulana (Boisduval), to obtain perfect methods to increase their reproductive ability. Changing the larval artificial diet of E. insulana after seven days with the fresh one of the same diet or natural okra fruits, caused non significant short in the larval and pupal duration, and significant increasing the larval and pupal weight, adult emergency, fecundity and hatchability percentages in comparison with larvae continuously reared on artificial diet without change the diet until pupation. The use of honey solution either alone or mixture with yeast or vitamin E instead of sugar solution alone or mixture with yeast or vitamin E, in feeding spiny bollworm moths increased the quantity and viability of egg laid per female. The number of eggs per female were 146, 154, 149, 156, 166, 161 eggs, for sugar, sugar + yeast, sugar + vitamin E, honey, honey + yeast and honey + vitamin E solutions, respectively. The numbers of egg per female in presence of cotton boll or okra fruit were 183 and 178 eggs, respectively, which was higher than that obtained in absent of host plant (156 eggs per female).