We emphasize that the objective of this study was not to control flies in the feedlots where wasps were released, but to determine if releases of T. sarcophagae noticeably increased levels of fly parasitism. Many more wasps would need to be released as part of a fly control program. Recommended rates of release for wasps sold commercially vary from 10 to 250 wasps per animal per week during the fly season. Thus, for a 10,000 head feedlot, the recommended number of wasps released would be 2 million to 50 million wasps per summer. In our study, we released only 0.4 million wasps in each feedlot.
Results show that production is similar between fresh and freeze-killed pupae.
This means that insectaries can stockpile fly pupae in freezers for use when fresh pupae are not readily available. Click here . Please acknowledge the original source for all images appearing on these pages.