Rearing Sarcophaga bullata fly hosts for Nasonia (parasitoid wasp).

Nasonia is a complex of four closely related species of wasps with several features that make it an excellent system for a variety of genetic studies. These include a short generation time, ease of rearing, interfertile species, visible and molecular markers, and a sequenced genome. It also can serve as a behavior model for studies of courtship, male aggression and territoriality, female dispersal, and sex ratio control. Nasonia vitripennis is a parasitoid of a number of calliphorid flies, such as Sarcophaga bullata, allowing investigations of questions relating to parasitoid/host dynamics, host preference, and specialist versus generalist biology. S. bullata are relatively large, increasing the offspring yield that a single N. vitripennis female can produce. They are also easily reared in the lab if proper ventilation is available. This protocol describes the methods to collect and raise S. bullata larvae that will be used as hosts for N. vitripennis.