Effects of Taurine as Dietary Supplement on the Biological and Demographic Parameters of Nezara viridula (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), is a widely distributed pest of many economically important crops. Because of its economic impact, multiple examples of rearing methods and diets for N. viridula have been published. However, rearing this pest year-round consistently in all-vegetable diets has been challenging. Preliminary observations have shown that supplementing N. viridula diet with insect components improves the survival and reproduction of this insect. We hypothesized that taurine could be the nutrient present in insect components that was providing the benefits. Treatments consisting of three different watering regimes: 1) Reverse osmosis (RO) water only (W), 2) 2% taurine solution only (T), and 3) a choice between RO water and 2% taurine solution (T&W) were compared for their effects on life cycle and demographic parameters of N. viridula. Both taurine-containing treatments (T and T&W) resulted in a significant increase in nymphal and premating adult survival and egg viability as compared with treatment 'W'. Taurine supplementation did not have significant effect on fecundity and development time significantly increased in the 'T' treatment compared with W and W&T treatments. However, there were significant improvements in demographic parameters showing an increase in fitness levels after taurine supplementation. These results suggest that taurine is an important nutrient for N. viridula, which has been deficient in traditional diets consisting exclusively of vegetable components. Adoption of this new information will help to improve the survival of N. viridula in culture to facilitate this study to develop new methods for its control.

Inheritance of Two Traits With High Plasticity, Developmental Speed, and Body Size, in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The study of inheritance of quantitative traits of high plasticity in insects has been limited. The heritability of larval development time and body weight in Tenebrio molitor L. was determined using the method of parent-offspring regression. The parental group of adults obtained from a cohort from one day of oviposition from a stock colony was divided into 28 class groups according to their larval development time and pupal weight. The progeny resulting from these parental classes was grouped in experimental units and allowed to develop to the pupal stage. Means of larval development time and pupal weight of the progeny were compared with their parental class levels using linear regression. The selection of larval development time and pupal weight in the parental classes had a significant impact on the means of larval development time and pupal weight of the progeny. The regression coefficients for larval development time and pupal weight were 0.626 ±â€…0.02 and 0.408 ±â€…0.02, respectively. These values represent the proportion of genetic determination of these two traits based on the principles of the method of parent-offspring regression. The apparent independence of larval development time and pupal weight based on their poor linear correlation is discussed.

Estimation of Blockage Position, Geometry, and Solidity in Molten Salt Pipelines.

In solar thermal plants, the use of molten salt as a heat transfer fluid is an advantageous alternative, although it has some disadvantages such as the formation of salt plugs in the pipes due to possible stratification of the salt or its solidification. The aim of this study was to implement an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) not only capable of identifying the position of the plug, but also of determining whether the plug blocks the entire conductive surface or, on the contrary, is partial, allowing the fluid to pass through a smaller section. The proposed transducer is intended to be minimally invasive, allowing it to be used in the same way as a temperature probe. To do so, it creates torsional waves in the pipe, which are then used for a combination of measurements: pulse-echo and attenuation of the acoustic waves. Two materials with different densities (silicone and cement) were used in the tests carried out, which made it possible to check that for a given size of blockage, it is possible to identify the type of material from which it is formed.

Body Mass Increase Induced by Eight Years of Artificial Selection in the Yellow Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Life History Trade-offs.

Efforts to improve rearing conditions of Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) for insect biomass production included selecting for larger size pupae. The effects of an 8-yr continuous selection of T. molitor pupae for larger size were studied. Data consisting of daily counts and weights of pupae were analyzed using regression to determine the effects of selection over time. A preliminary evaluation of food conversion, growth, fecundity, and larval survival was done to compare ancestral versus selected strains. A significant positive correlation was identified between pupal size and time indicating a significant increase in pupal size over time in the selected T. molitor strain. A preliminary comparison of ancestral and selected strains showed significantly larger pupal size, growth rate, fecundity, and efficiency of conversion of ingested food in the selected strain. However, the selected strain also showed significantly lower larval survival than the ancestral strain. The low larval survival impacted the overall productivity of the selected strain resulting in no significant differences in biomass production when compared with the ancestral strain. The potential of using selection to improve biomass productivity in T. molitor is discussed.

Magnetostrictive Sensor for Blockage Detection in Pipes Subjected to High Temperatures.

The use of solar thermal power plants is considered a cost-effective alternative to produce renewable energy. Unlike other energy installations, in this type of plants the transfer and storage of energy has been solved by using molten salts. These salts run between two tanks through the steam generation system that feeds the turbine. Although the use of salts as a heat transfer fluid is considered an adequate solution, they are not without problems. One of them is the formation of blockages in the pipes due to a partial solidification of the salt, which leads to the shutdown of the installation, with the consequent economic losses. Fast location of these blockages in a minimally intrusive way is the objective pursued in this work. The method to achieve this is based on the use of a new magnetostrictive sensor that simplifies previous designs.

Mortality of Solenopsis invicta Workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) After Indirect Exposure to Spores of Three Entomopathogenic Fungi.

Mortality caused by indirect exposure to Metarhizium brunneum and Beauveria bassiana (GHA and NI8) to the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), workers was evaluated. Groups of 50 workers were placed in one side of dual-box arenas. The opposite side of the arenas was lined with filter paper squares previously sprayed with unformulated purified spores (106 spores/ml) suspended in 0.2% Ethal TDA 3, HLB 8 of the three fungal strains, or untreated filter paper squares as the control. Daily observations were done for 1 wk to determine mortality. Dead ants from each treatment and control were collected, surface cleaned, and placed in PDA media and incubated at 27°C, 60% RH for 7 d to detect fungal growth. The presence of fungal growth in the dead ants confirmed that fungal spores infected workers while walking on the treated paper. In the M. brunneum and B. bassiana GHA treatments, 51.35 and 56.68% of the workers died, respectively, during days 1 and 2. However, only 9.47 and 35.96% of the mortality could be explained by fungal infection by M. brunneum and B. bassiana GHA, respectively. Most of the mortality observed in the B. bassiana NI8 treatment (84.48%) occurred later (between days 4-6) and most of this mortality occurring during day 4 (89.06%) could be explained by B. bassiana infection. Overall mortality was significantly higher in the B. bassiana NI8 treatment than the other two fungi tested and control. Potential application of these fungal strains for fire ant control are discussed.

Unified Compact ECC-AES Co-Processor with Group-Key Support for IoT Devices in Wireless Sensor Networks.

Security is a critical challenge for the effective expansion of all new emerging applications in the Internet of Things paradigm. Therefore, it is necessary to define and implement different mechanisms for guaranteeing security and privacy of data interchanged within the multiple wireless sensor networks being part of the Internet of Things. However, in this context, low power and low area are required, limiting the resources available for security and thus hindering the implementation of adequate security protocols. Group keys can save resources and communications bandwidth, but should be combined with public key cryptography to be really secure. In this paper, a compact and unified co-processor for enabling Elliptic Curve Cryptography along to Advanced Encryption Standard with low area requirements and Group-Key support is presented. The designed co-processor allows securing wireless sensor networks with independence of the communications protocols used. With an area occupancy of only 2101 LUTs over Spartan 6 devices from Xilinx, it requires 15% less area while achieving near 490% better performance when compared to cryptoprocessors with similar features in the literature.

Temperature-Dependent Biological and Demographic Parameters of Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae).

Knowledge of the most suitable environmental conditions for an organism growth and development is a prerequisite for developing mass rearing technology. The temperature requirements for development and the optimal range of temperatures for growth and reproduction of Coleomegilla maculata De Geer were studied. The development time of individual C. maculata larvae was determined at 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 °C. Development times were converted to development rates and fitted to a nonlinear temperature-dependent model and to the linear day-degree model. Life and fertility table analysis was used to determine the optimal temperature for population growth within a range of favorable temperatures including 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 °C. Nonlinear estimates of thermal maximum (TM) for the postembryonic development of C. maculata was 35.09 ± 10.35 °C. Estimation of TM based on pupal development was much lower at 27.23 ± 1.52 °C. Linear and nonlinear estimates of low temperature development threshold were 13.13 ± and 4.77 ± 3.03 °C for the whole postembryonic development and 10.95 and 9.18 ± 1.36 °C for the pupal stage alone, respectively. The most favorable temperature for population growth was 25 °C, where C. maculata showed significantly higher intrinsic rate of increase (rm = 0.066) and significantly lower doubling time (10.57 d) than the other favorable temperatures tested. A negative value of rm was obtained at 28 °C, indicating population decline occurring at this temperature making it unfavorable for C. maculata.

A New Report of Nezara viridula f. aurantiaca (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) from a Cultured Population in Washington County, Mississippi.

Nezara viridula adult coloration can vary, including a rare orange-colored type (i.e., N. viridula f. aurantiaca). In November 2015, three Nezara viridula males displaying orange coloration were found in an established colony in Stoneville, MS. The objectives of this study were to determine if alleles of these orange types conformed to the allele characteristics previously reported for N. viridula f. aurantiaca and to determine if there were any differences in reproductive output compared with the green-colored type. The three orange-type males were crossed with green-type females to produce a hybrid F1 The F1 progeny was allowed us to cross to produce an F2. The F2 progeny consisted of 672 green females, 351 green males, 298 orange males, and 0 orange females. These ratios did not differ significantly from the expected 50:25:25:0 ratios for a single recessive sex linked allele for color phenotype. The F2 cross of green females and orange males produced an F3 consisting of 345 green females, 346 green males, 100 orange females, and 85 orange males. These ratios also conformed to the expected ratios (0.375:0.375:0.125:0.125) with the exception of orange males, which numbers were slightly lower than expected. The pure orange type N. viridula produced significantly less egg masses (0.71 ± 0.15) per day than green types (2.09 ± 0.16) and their reproductive output, measured as net reproductive rate (Ro), was lower in orange (13.71) compared with green (20.67) types.

Nutritional Value of Pupae Versus Larvae of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) as Food for Rearing Podisus maculiventris (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Life-table analysis yielded demographic parameter values that indicate that Tenebrio molitor (L.) pupae are potentially more suitable factitious prey to mass-produce the predator Podisus maculiventris (Say) and are more suitable prey than the larvae. P. maculiventris developed faster (23.2 vs. 25.5 d), weighed more (females 80.9 vs. 66.6 mg and males 64.7 vs. 53.7 mg), and had a higher survival rate (0.88 vs. 0.7), fecundity, and reproductive output (87.1 vs. 22.8 eggs/female) when reared on pupae compared with larvae of T. molitor. The total protein content and soluble protein content were significantly higher in pupae (60.2 and 23%, respectively) than larvae (53.1 and 14.4%, respectively). Lipid content was significantly lower in pupae (32.1%) than larvae (35.9%), and larvae had more polyunsaturated fatty acids (83.6 vs. 56.6 mg/g) and less oleic (0.1 mg/g) and steric (6.1 mg/g) acids than pupae (37.3 and 12.3 mg/g, respectively). The total sugar content was not significantly different between pupae and larvae. However, larvae had significantly more fructose than pupae, but pupae had more galactose, glucosamine, glucose, mannose, and trehalose than larvae. Differences in nutritional composition and its impact on predator demographic parameters are potential factors that make the pupal stage a better food source.

Effect of Larval Density on Food Utilization Efficiency of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

Crowding conditions of larvae may have a significant impact on commercial production efficiency of some insects, such as Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Although larval densities are known to affect developmental time and growth in T. molitor, no reports were found on the effects of crowding on food utilization. The effect of larval density on food utilization efficiency of T. molitor larvae was studied by measuring efficiency of ingested food conversion (ECI), efficiency of digested food conversion (EDC), and mg of larval weight gain per gram of food consumed (LWGpFC) at increasing larval densities (12, 24, 36, 48, 50, 62, 74, and 96 larvae per dm(2)) over four consecutive 3-wk periods. Individual larval weight gain and food consumption were negatively impacted by larval density. Similarly, ECI, ECD, and LWGpFC were negatively impacted by larval density. Larval ageing, measured as four consecutive 3-wk periods, significantly and independently impacted ECI, ECD, and LWGpFC in a negative way. General linear model analysis showed that age had a higher impact than density on food utilization parameters of T. molitor larvae. Larval growth was determined to be responsible for the age effects, as measurements of larval mass density (in grams of larvae per dm(2)) had a significant impact on food utilization parameters across ages and density treatments (in number of larvae per dm(2)). The importance of mass versus numbers per unit of area as measurements of larval density and the implications of negative effects of density on food utilization for insect biomass production are discussed.

Rearing methods of four insect species intended as feed, food, and food ingredients: a review.

Over the past 2 decades, the potential of insects as food and feed has been recognized globally. Insects as feed ingredients can improve sustainability because of their lower greenhouse gas emissions and their potential to transform organic wastes into high-quality feed rich in nutrients. However, currently, the practical use of insects as food or feed is limited by the high costs of insect production. A great deal of effort is required to improve the rearing technology necessary to establish the principles of insect farming. Several insect species have become industrialized using existing methods of production. The most common industrialized insect species intended as feed and food include the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae); the house cricket, Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae); the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae); and the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). This review focuses on describing the existing rearing methods for these 4 insect species, which may provide a basis for future research to enhance insect production capabilities.

Insect frass composition and potential use as an organic fertilizer in circular economies.

Insect manure or "frass" has emerged as an alternative nutrient source for alleviating the dependence on fossil fuel-based fertilizers, reducing food waste, and promoting food security. Yet, research on insect frass chemical composition is in its infancy. Here, we assessed the chemical properties of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) frass compared with poultry litter (PL). Insect frass was obtained from the National Biological Control Laboratory (NBCL; IF-L) and an insect-rearing company (IF-C). PL was collected from facilities in Arkansas (PL-AR) and North Carolina (PL-NC). Samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, macro- and micronutrients, heavy metals, pathogens, and indicator microorganisms. On average, insect frass had 43% and 47% higher C and N than PL, respectively (P < 0.05). Considering a 5 mg/ha application rate, IF-C can supply 159 kg N/ha, twice the N supply of PL-AR (78 kg/ha). IF-L had a 53% higher P supply than PL-NC. Mean K, Ca, S, and micronutrient contents were higher in PL than in frass (P < 0.05), whereas As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were nearly absent in frass. Chemical composition and pathogens in fertilizer sources were largely affected by insect-rearing substrate and supplements used in poultry and insect production. Insect frass utilized in this study had optimum C and N rates relative to PL, suggesting a promising soil amendment for improving soil health and C sequestration, thus contributing to sustainable agricultural intensification and reuse of food waste in circular economies.

MINIstock: Model for INsect Inclusion in sustainable agriculture: USDA-ARS's research approach to advancing insect meal development and inclusion in animal diets.

Animal agriculture is under pressure to increase efficiency, sustainability, and innovation to meet the demands of a rising global population while decreasing adverse environmental effects. Feed cost and availability are 2 of the biggest hurdles to sustainable production. Current diets depend on sources of grain and animal byproduct protein for essential amino acids which have limited sustainability. Insects have arisen as an attractive, sustainable alternative protein source for animal diets due to their favorable nutrient composition, low space and water requirements, and natural role in animal diets. Additionally, insects are capable of bioremediating waste streams including agricultural and food waste, manure, and plastics helping to increase their sustainability. The insect rearing industry has grown rapidly in recent years and shows great economic potential. However, state-of-the-art research is urgently needed to overcome barriers to adoption in commercial animal diets such as regulatory restrictions, production scale issues, and food safety concerns. To address this need, the USDA Agricultural Research Service "MINIstoc: Model for INsect Inclusion" project was created to bring together diverse scientists from across the world to synergistically advance insect meal production and inclusion in animal diets. Here, we provide a short review of insects as feed while describing the MINIstock project which serves as the inspiration for the Journal of Economic Entomology Special Collection "Insects as feed: sustainable solutions for food waste and animal production practices."

Evaluation of Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens as Food for Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle Coleomegilla maculata.

The discovery of new and improved factitious and artificial diets is necessary for cost-effective rearing of predatory arthropods. This study evaluated Hermetia illucens black soldier fly (BSF) as a suitable alternative food source for rearing the predatory coccinellid Coleomegilla maculata (Cmac). The hypothesis that BSF larval powder was suitable food to support the growth, development, and reproduction of Cmac was tested in the laboratory. When compared to a standard in-house diet containing brine shrimp egg powder plus Chlorella vulgaris green algae and myristic acid (BSE+CM), the BSF and BSF+CM diets reduced immature growth and development. Immatures successfully reared to teneral adults were smaller when fed BSF or BSF+CM rather than BSE+CM. Combining BSF with a powdered artificial diet (AD), i.e., BSF+AD, did not improve predator growth or development, compared to Cmac reared on BSE+CM. Cmac oviposition responses, i.e., egg clutch production, to BSF vs. BSE+CM or BSF+AD vs. BSE+CM did not differ significantly. In conclusion, BSF has the potential to be food that supports Cmac oviposition behavior. Future research is necessary to discover an ideal mixture of BSF, BSE+CM, or AD that supports Cmac growth, development, and reproduction over multiple generations.

L-rhamnose induction of Aspergillus nidulans α-L-rhamnosidase genes is glucose repressed via a CreA-independent mechanism acting at the level of inducer uptake.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the structure and regulation of fungal α-L-rhamnosidase genes despite increasing interest in the biotechnological potential of the enzymes that they encode. Whilst the paradigmatic filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans growing on L-rhamnose produces an α-L-rhamnosidase suitable for oenological applications, at least eight genes encoding putative α-L-rhamnosidases have been found in its genome. In the current work we have identified the gene (rhaE) encoding the former activity, and characterization of its expression has revealed a novel regulatory mechanism. A shared pattern of expression has also been observed for a second α-L-rhamnosidase gene, (AN10277/rhaA). RESULTS: Amino acid sequence data for the oenological α-L-rhamnosidase were determined using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and correspond to the amino acid sequence deduced from AN7151 (rhaE). The cDNA of rhaE was expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and yielded pNP-rhamnohydrolase activity. Phylogenetic analysis has revealed this eukaryotic α-L-rhamnosidase to be the first such enzyme found to be more closely related to bacterial rhamnosidases than other α-L-rhamnosidases of fungal origin. Northern analyses of diverse A. nidulans strains cultivated under different growth conditions indicate that rhaA and rhaE are induced by L-rhamnose and repressed by D-glucose as well as other carbon sources, some of which are considered to be non-repressive growth substrates. Interestingly, the transcriptional repression is independent of the wide domain carbon catabolite repressor CreA. Gene induction and glucose repression of these rha genes correlate with the uptake, or lack of it, of the inducing carbon source L-rhamnose, suggesting a prominent role for inducer exclusion in repression. CONCLUSIONS: The A. nidulans rhaE gene encodes an α-L-rhamnosidase phylogenetically distant to those described in filamentous fungi, and its expression is regulated by a novel CreA-independent mechanism. The identification of rhaE and the characterization of its regulation will facilitate the design of strategies to overproduce the encoded enzyme - or homologs from other fungi - for industrial applications. Moreover, A. nidulans α-L-rhamnosidase encoding genes could serve as prototypes for fungal genes coding for plant cell wall degrading enzymes regulated by a novel mechanism of CCR.

Optimization of a Host Diet for in vivo Production of Entomopathogenic Nematodes.

To facilitate improved in vivo culture of entomopathogenic nematodes, production of both insect hosts and nematodes should be optimized for maximum fitness, quality, and cost efficiency. In previous studies, we developed an improved diet for Tenebrio molitor, a host that is used for in vivo nematode production, and we demonstrated that single insect diet components (e.g., lipids and proteins) can have a positive or negative impact on entomopathogenic nematode fitness and quality. In this study, we tested components of our improved T. molitor diet (lipids, cholesterol, and a salt [MnSO4]) alone and in combination for effects on host susceptibility and reproductive capacity of Heterorhabditis indica and Steinernema carpocapsae. Our results indicated that moderate levels of lipids (10%) increased host susceptibility to S. carpocapsae but did not affect H. indica, whereas cholesterol and MnSO4 increased host susceptibility to H. indica but not S. carpocapsae. The combined T. molitor diet (improved for increased insect growth) increased host susceptibility to S. carpocapsae and had a neutral effect on H. indica; interactions among single diet ingredients were observed. No effects of insect host diet were detected on the reproductive capacity of either nematode species in T. molitor. Subsequently, progeny infective juveniles, derived from nematodes grown in T. molitor that were fed diets with varying nutritive components were tested for virulence to and reproduction capacity in the target pest Diaprepes abbreviatus. The progeny nematodes produced from differing T. molitor diet treatments did not differ in virulence except H. indica derived from a diet that lacked cholesterol or MnS04 (but contained lipids) did not cause significant D. abbreviatus suppression relative to the water control. We conclude that the improved insect host diet is compatible with production of H. indica and S. carpocapsae, and increases host susceptibility in S. carpocapsae. Furthermore, in a general sense, our results indicate host diets can be optimized for improved in vivo entomopathogenic nematode production efficiency. This is the first report of an insect diet that was optimized for both host and entomopathogenic nematode production. Additionally, our study indicates that host diet may impact broader aspects of entomopathogenic nematode ecology and pest control efficacy.

The Aspergillus niger multicopper oxidase family: analysis and overexpression of laccase-like encoding genes.

BACKGROUND: Many filamentous fungal genomes contain complex groups of multicopper oxidase (MCO) coding genes that makes them a good source for new laccases with potential biotechnological interest. A bioinformatics analysis of the Aspergillus niger ATCC 1015 genome resulted in the identification of thirteen MCO genes. Ten of them were cloned and homologously overexpressed. RESULTS: A bioinformatic analysis of the A. niger ATCC 1015 genome revealed the presence of 13 MCO genes belonging to three different subfamilies on the basis of their phylogenetic relationships: ascomycete laccases, fungal pigment MCOs and fungal ferroxidases. According to in silico amino acid sequence analysis, the putative genes encoding for functional extracellular laccases (mcoA, mcoB, mcoC, mcoD, mcoE, mcoF, mcoG, mcoI, mcoJ and mcoM) were placed under the control of the glaA promoter and overexpressed in A. niger N593. Enzyme activity plate assays with several common laccase substrates showed that all genes are actually expressed and code for active MCOs. Interestingly, expressed enzymes show different substrate specificities. In addition, optimization of fungal pigment MCOs extracellular production was investigated. The performance of the widely used glucoamylase signal sequence (ssGlaA) in McoA secretion was studied. Results obtained suggest that ssGlaA do not yield higher levels of secreted McoA when compared to its native secretion signal. Also, McoB synthesis was investigated using different nitrogen sources in minimal medium liquid cultures. Higher yields of extracellular McoB were achieved with (NH4)2 tartrate. CONCLUSIONS: Aspergillus niger is a good source of new laccases. The different substrate specificity observed in plate assays makes them interesting to be purified and biochemically compared. The homologous signal sequence of McoA has been shown to be a good choice for its extracellular overexpression. From the nitrogen sources tested (NH4)2 tartrate has been found to be the most appropriate for McoB production in A. niger.

Effects of a novel entomopathogenic nematode-infected host formulation on cadaver integrity, nematode yield, and suppression of Diaprepes abbreviatus and Aethina tumida.

An alternative approach to applying entomopathogenic nematodes entails the distribution of nematodes in their infected insect hosts. Protection of the infected host from rupturing, and improving ease of handling, may be necessary to facilitate application. In this study our objective was to test the potential of a new method of formulating the infected hosts, i.e., enclosing the infected host in masking tape. Tenebrio molitor L. cadavers infected with Heterorhabditis indica Poinar, Karunakar and David or Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) were wrapped in tape using an automatic packaging machine; the machine was developed to reduce labor and to standardize the final product. The effects of the tape formulation on the ability to protect the cadavers from mechanical damage, nematode yield, and pest control efficacy were tested. After exposure to mechanical agitation at 7-d-post-infection, S. carpocapsae cadavers in tape were more resistant to rupture than cadavers without tape, yet H. indica cadavers 7-d-post-infection were not affected by mechanical agitation (with or without tape), nor was either nematode affected when 4-d-old cadavers were tested. Experiments indicated that infective juvenile yield was not affected by the tape formulation. Laboratory experiments were conducted measuring survival of the root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus (L.), or the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray, after the application of two H. indica-infected hosts with or without tape per 15 cm pot (filled with soil). A greenhouse experiment was also conducted in a similar manner measuring survival of D. abbreviatus. In all experiments, both the tape and no-tape treatments caused significant reductions in insect survival relative to the control, and no differences were detected between the nematode treatments. Fifteen days post-application, the infected host treatments caused up to 78% control in A. tumida, 91% control in D. abbreviatus in the lab, and 75% in the greenhouse. These results indicate potential for using the tape-formulation approach for applying nematode infected hosts.