Colonization and Mass Production of the False Wireworm Eleodes suturalis

The false wireworm Eleodes suturalis (Say) was easily colonized and mass produced in the laboratory. The size of the colony was limited only by the number of egg-laying adults and the space devoted to larval rearing. In 10 hours per week a technican can maintain a constant population of 40–50 thousand larvae. Techniques (or trapping adults, obtaining eggs in large numbers, rearing larvae, and breaking obligatory larval diapause are described. E. suturalis has considerable potential as a test organism for insecticide screening, as well as in toxicological, physiological, and ecological studies pertaining to subterranean insects.