Rearing of Culicoides nubeculosus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) by natural or artificial feeding in the laboratory.

A technique for the mass rearing of Culicoides nubeculosus in the laboratory is described. Female midges were fed either on fresh or deep-frozen, defibrinated cattle blood (-70 degrees C) through latex membranes, or on anesthetized white mice. Feeding rates of up to 90% were obtained on the latex membrane, whereas only 41% of the midges fed on mice. The best oviposition rates of greater than 50% were achieved after feeding either on the latex membrane with fresh cattle blood or on mice. An average of greater than 100 eggs per female were deposited. The highest larval hatching rate was observed after feeding with fresh blood; about half of the larvae developed to the adult stage. A reproduction index was defined for the colony based on the feeding rate, oviposition rate, larval hatching rate and development to the adult stage. The highest reproduction index was obtained when the midges were fed on fresh cattle blood through the membrane.