Tray and Rack Systems for Mass Rearing of Mosquitoes and similar Insect Larvae

VSI Tray and Rack systems - The requirement for efficient insect mass rearing and especially mosquito mass rearing technology has been one of the major obstacles preventing the large scale application of the Sterile Insect Technique against mosquitoes and other insect pests. Balestrino et al. (2012, 2014) developed and evaluated a larval rearing unit (see literature below) to successfully rear hundred thousands of mosquitoes per rack. The mosquito racks are efficiently holding 30 trays (standard) with developing larvae for medium-scale mass production. Details on the larval trays can be found on the tray website. The rearing unit is mechanically simple to handle, maintains minimal water temperature variation and negligible water evaporation and allows normal larval development in the special trays mimicking mosquito rearing environment. Racks can be mechanically or manually tilted for efficient collection and cleaning purposes, an optional collection system for the overflow (with sieves and collection containers) is available. The close stacking of the trays in the rack and the possibility to tightly line up several racks makes this rearing unit a valid solution for maximal use of space - thus reducing construction, heating and cooling costs. The low amount of labour required to operate the water-based rearing system also reduces labour costs, which represent one of the main expenditures in any mass-rearing facility operation. Labour costs can be further reduced by combining the tray & rack systems with a dedicated automatic insect feeding station.

Please contact us if you require more information on the rack and tray system for mosquito larvae mass rearing or if you are looking for a technical solution for your specific insect mass production facility.