Epigenetic variability of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) under mass rearing conditions

Ephestia kuehniella Zeller egg production unit (biofactory) is operating at the University of Azores for the last ten years. The Mediterranean flour moth eggs are used to rear entomophagous insects of use in biological control (Trichogrammatidae, Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae). The influence of different temperature regimes, larval density and diet texture (regional maize flour) was studied on ten populations, using the following parameters: pre-imaginal development time, adult longevity and weight, fecundity, fertility, mortality, emergency rate and sex ratio. As a result, optimum conditions for mass production of E. kuehniella at the azorean biofactory are: embryonic development and first 15 days of larval development at 25 ºC; larval populations with more than 15 days at 12 ºC, up to the prepupal stage; the following developmental stages at 25 ºC; 4 or 5 eggs per 2 cm3 of alveolar card volume; medium texture, regional hardmaize semolina; 70 ± 5% relative humidity and 16L:08D photoperiod