Laboratory colonisation of Glossina tachinoides Westwood (Diptera : Glossinidae) in Nigeria

The authors describe efforts at laboratory colonisation of Glossina tachinoides Westwood in April, 1986 from wild puparia collected from the Yankari Game Reserve. The climatic conditions that hitherto prevented previous attempts at breeding the species at the Nigerian Institute of Trypanosmiasis Research (NITR) were identified and corrected. A 7-day mating regime played a major role by ensuring optimal insemination of females. The colony exhibited adaptive trends towards laboratory condition. Antibiotics contained in the diet of the rabbit hosts probably affected the fertility of the female flies resulting in the decline and collapse of the colony.