Laboratory colonization of Lucilia sericata Meigen (Diptera: Caliphoridae) strain from Hashtgerd, Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The treatment of wounds with live green bottle fly larvae is receiving considerable attention in many countries. Laboratory rearing of Lucilia sericata is crucially important for the treatment of wounds. STUDY DESIGN The study was carried out for mass rearing of green bottle flies from April to November 2010. Hand catch and net trap baited with beef and cattle liver were used to collect adult flies from the field. The collected samples were placed in appropriately labeled tubes and sent to the laboratory. Adult stage flies reared in the insectary were used for species identification using specific keys. RESULTS A total of 89 flies (55 females and 34 males) were collected from Hashtgerd area. In the first generation, 299 flies were produced in the laboratory including 105 (35.12%) males, and 194 (64.88%) females. The female/male sex ratio was 1.61 for parents, whereas it was 1.84, 1.30 for F1 and F2 generations respectively. In total, 432 flies were reared in F3 generation including 173 (40.04%) males, and 259 (59.96%) females, and the sex ratio was 1.49. CONCLUSION Setting up the mass rearing of sheep blowfly at the School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences is an important step in producing candidate flies for the treatment of myiasis by maggot therapy in future.