Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Rearing Apocephalus borealis

Posted by Ectemnius on 05-11-2013 21:41
#2

Hello Dieter,

I have pondered this question for some time, as I'd like to rear Conopids from bees.
Jens-Herman Stuke suggested catching bees and putting them in a glass container with sand on the bottom. To keep the bees alive one would feed them with sugar water.
I've had some experience keeping flies of the species Myathropa florea (Syrphidae) alive for some time with both honey and sugar water. But with honey the flies got messy as they walk right through it. The best results I got by soaking some cotton wool in sugar water. For the container I used an old aquaria. Its about 40x20x20 centimeters and housed about twenty specimens for seven days.
I have not tried keeping bees like this but coming spring I will try this with bees of the genus Andrena trying to rear Conopidae of the genus Myopa from them.
I hope this information will help you some. If you do manage to get results would you share them with me in this post or through a pm or mail?
I would be happy to share the results of my efforts of the coming spring.

Greetings,

Ectemnius