Insect infestations in mealworm farming: the case of the pyralid moths

During the last decade the insect sector has witnessed a tremendous growth. A lot of scientific knowledge has been accumulated regarding insect production, processing and industrialisation. However, an issue that has been often overlooked is the management of insect pest infestations in insect production plants. Pyralid moths appear to be the most prevalent insect pest-species in mealworm farms. Although not directly affecting the mealworm larvae, these species can cause severe problems infesting the feed. Their presence in the production facility can lead to the contamination of the mealworm protein with moth protein and the disruption of sieving and processing due to the larval webbing. The management of moth infestations in insect rearing units is rather challenging, as most commonly applied insecticide-based control measures cannot be implemented due to their negative impact on insect production. Therefore, moth control should be based on the integration of several alternative strategies in a holistic approach that combines improved sanitation and hygiene with non-chemical control measures. The application of extreme temperatures, biological control, mating disruption and other control tools for the management of insect infestations in insect producing facilities is being discussed within this review. © 2021 Wageningen Academic Publisher

Accuracy of pitfall traps for monitoring populations of the amphipod Orchestia gammarella (Pallas 1766) in saltmarshes

International audienc

Ammonia emissions related to black soldier fly larvae during growth on different diets

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is considered a farmed animal. The larvae live in a moist substrate, which leads to a complex interaction with the microbial community. As such the combined metabolism of the insects and that of the microbial community can ultimately lead to all sorts of emissions such as ammonia and greenhouse gases. For ammonia emissions and associated depositions, it is known that this can lead to eutrophication of local ecosystems and the formation of particulate matter which can affect human health. This issue is known for intensive livestock farming where in some Western European countries this has led to specific regulations, for example limited number of livestock per farm, to control ammonia emissions. The production of black soldier fly larvae is a novel activity that could similarly lead to ammonia emissions. This study introduces a new method to quantify ammonia emissions in an industrial setting using an accumulation chamber and validates the findings with a nitrogen mass balance. Additionally, different feed substrates (Gainesville diet, chicken feed, artificial supermarket waste and brewers spent grains) were assessed with varying crude protein concentrations, hypothetically one of the driving factors affecting emissions. Results indicate significant ammonia emissions, the total emissions during larval growth ranged from 2.6 up to 83.6 g N/kg larvae (dry matter basis) and depend strongly on the diet. The rates at which these emissions are produced are negligible during the first three days. In the following days all diets emitted ammonia at a varying rate. The highest observed hourly emission rate for test substrates could be as low as 6.8 mg N/kg initial substrate (dry matter basis) and as high as 306 mg/kg. Different properties of the feed, such as the initial crude protein concentration, but also how the pH changes throughout larval growth, will affect emissions.</p

Regulation of Th2 responses and allergic inflammation through bystander activation of CD8+ T lymphocytes in early life.

Th2-biased immune responses characterizing neonates may influence the later onset of allergic disease. The contribution of regulatory T cell populations in the prevention of Th2-driven pathologies in early life is poorly documented. We investigated the potential of CD8(+) T cells stimulated at birth with alloantigens to modulate the development of allergic airway inflammation. Newborn mice were immunized with semiallogeneic splenocytes or dendritic cells (DCs) and exposed at the adult stage to OVA aeroallergens. DC-immunized animals displayed a strong Th1 and Tc1/Tc2 alloantigen-specific response and were protected against the development of the allergic reaction with reduced airway hyperresponsiveness, mucus production, eosinophilia, allergen-specific IgE and IgG(1), and reduction of lung IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 mRNA levels. By contrast, splenocyte-immunized mice displayed a Th2 and a weak Tc2 alloantigen-specific response and were more sensitive to the development of the allergen-specific inflammation compared with mice unexposed at birth to alloantigens. DC-immunized animals displayed an important increase in the percentage of IFN-gamma-producing CD8(+)CD44(high), CD8(+)CD62L(high), and CD8(+)CD25(+) subsets. Adoptive transfers of CD8(+) T cells from semiallogeneic DC-immunized animals to adult beta(2)m-deficient animals prevented the development of allergic response, in particular IgE, IL-4, and IL-13 mRNA production in an IFN-gamma-dependent manner, whereas transfers of CD8(+) T cells from semiallogeneic splenocyte-immunized mice intensified the lung IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA level and the allergen-specific IgE. These findings demonstrated that neonatal induction of regulatory CD8(+) T cells was able to modulate key parameters of later allergic sensitization in a bystander manner, without recognition of MHC class I molecules.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe