Larvae Mass Rearing Trays
Standardised larval rearing units for insect production are essential for the establishment of mass-rearing facilities. We offer mosquito mass rearing trays according to the specifications by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture (FAO/IAEA-IPCL; see Balestrino et al., 2012). The trays are compatible with the VSI Tray and Rack systems / Mosquito mass rearing module; those hold 30 mass rearing trays each.
The mosquito mass-rearing tray was designed to provide a large surface area of shallow water - closely mimicking natural breeding sites and allowing for larval diet to be easily accessible.
According to literature, the tray is applicable for rearing larvae of several mosquito species. For Aedes albopictus, for example, the optimal larval rearing density in the trays is about 18,000 larvae (3.6 larvae/cm2 inner surface). At thirty-four hours after the first pupation, the average male pupae production was found to be ca. 3.16 × 105; no impact on male mating competitiveness to wild type females was found and the tray was recommended to be used in medium-sized mosquito mass rearing facilities (see Zhang et al., 2017 for details). Regarding Anopheles sp., each trays can hold about 4000 larvae (Mamai et al., 2018). The use of the trays for rearing other insect species requiring similar environmental conditions for pupation is likely but requires further testing of optimal densities, temperatures etc.
VSI Larvae Tray - Specifications
- Outer Dimensions: approx. 1000 x 600 x 25 mm
- Inner Dimensions: approx. 920 x 550 x 20 mm (approx. 6 l at filling depth of 12 mm)
- Material: ABS [Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol-Copolymer)], grey, 5 mm
Two ridges create an overflow system and increase the surface area / larval resting space. The underside of the tray ridges holds two plastic (PMMA) plates which deflect the overflowing water -avoiding water falling straight down (see image).
Specifications are based on Balestrino et al., (2012) & Technical requirements as given by IAEA.
Selected readings on mass rearing trays
- Balestrino F., Benedict M.Q. & Gilles J.R. (2012) A new larval tray and rack system for improved mosquito mass rearing. J Med Entomol 49.
- Mamai, W., et al. (2018) Optimization of mass-rearing methods for Anopheles arabiensis larval stages: effects of rearing water temperature and larval density on mosquito life-history traits. Journal of Economic Entomology 111(5): 2383-2390.
- Zhang D., Zhang M., Wu Y., Gilles J.R.L., Yamada H., Wu Z., Xi Z. & Zheng X. (2017) Establishment of a medium-scale mosquito facility: optimization of the larval mass-rearing unit for Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasites & Vectors 10, 569.