1. Mass Rearing of Insects: Quality Control
Norm Leppla
University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department

2. Norm’s Career in Insect Rearing
University of Arizona- Insect rearing research, 2 years (pink bollworm, noctuids)
USDA, ARS- Insectary management, Florida and Texas, 17 years (noctuids, fruit flies, screwworm, parasitoids)
USDA, APHIS- Methods development, Washington DC and international, 7 years (gypsy moth, PBW, FF)
University of Florida- Integrated pest management and biological control, 20 years
Rearing and quality of Tamarixia radiata (Chris Kerr)
Quality of Trichogramma brassicae from Ephestia kuehniella eggs (Yasaman Moghaddassi)

3. Quality Control Topics
Total Quality Management
Colony Establishment and Maintenance
Maintaining the Quality of Colonized Insects
Monitoring Quality
QC vs Methods Improvement
Periodic Review
Guidelines for Quality Systems

4. I. Total Quality Management

5. Parts of an Insect Rearing System

6. Approaches to Arthropod Quality Control
Build-in Product Quality Before Production
Check Product Quality After Production
Total QC
ISO 9000
IOBC
ASTM
Marketplace
Code of Hammurabi, 3000 BC Babylonia- “The mason who builds a house which falls down and kills the inmate shall be put to death.”
Omachonu and Ross 2004

7. Deming’s 14 Points of Quality
Create constancy of purpose to improve the product.
Adopt a new philosophy- mediocre performance is unacceptable.
Cease dependence on mass inspection. Instead, require statistical evidence that quality is built in.
End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price.
Find potential improvements, work continually on the system.
Institute modern methods of training on the job.
Institute modern methods of supervision, from numbers to quality.

8. Deming’s 14 Points of Quality
Drive out fear and anxiety, so that everyone may work effectively.
Break down barriers between departments.
Eliminate numerical goals, asking for new levels of productivity without providing methods.
Eliminate work standards that prescribe numerical quotas.
Remove barriers that stand between the hourly worker and their right to pride of workmanship.
Institute a vigorous program of education and retraining.
Create a structure in top management that will advance the above points every day.
Edward Demming and Joseph Juran 1950s

9. Production, Process and Product Control

10. System for Insect Mass Rearing
Total QA
System for Insect Mass Rearing

11. II. Colony Establishment and Maintenance
Purposes for Rearing Insects
Insect Mass Rearing Systems
Specifications and Standards
Options for Colonizing Insects
Maintaining the Quality of Colonized Insects

12. Purposes for Rearing Insects
Red Palm Weevil
Hoddle 2015

13. White witch, Thysania agrippina (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae

14. Black Soldier Fly
Zhang 2015

15. Mass Rearing- Medfly Metapa, Mexico El Pino, Guatemala
Capacity billion sterile
male pupae per week
Scott Bauer

16. Mass Rearing- Medfly

17. Screwworm

18. Screwworm “Factories”
Mission,
Texas
Tuxtla Gutierrez,
Mexico

19. Screwworm Rearing Processes

20. Screwworm Mass Rearing Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico

21. Develop QC for Mass Rearing Insects
1972- Behavioral aspects of
mass rearing of insects,
Entomophaga, Ernst Boller
1977- Quality control in mass
rearing, Ann. Rev. Entomol.
Derrell Chambers

22. Develop QC for Mass Rearing Insects
1976- XX International Congress of Entomology “Characterization and Evaluation of Insect Colonies”
Boller, Chambers, Leppla
1977- Quality Control, an Idea
Book for Fruit Fly Workers.
Boller & Chambers (eds.)
1980 Established IOBC, WGQC (AMRQC)

23. Screwworm Mass Production
Pacora, Panama

24. Industrial Engineering

25. Pink Bollworm Mass Rearing
Phoenix, Arizona
Stephanie Bloem

26. Pink Bollworm Automated
Diet Processing
Stephanie Bloem

27. Aedes agypti Mass Rearing El Salvador

28. Specifications- Requirements for a product or service
Standards- The level of quality at which a specification is written

29. Options for Colonizing Insects Insect Rearing Professionals
Obtain appropriate biotypes
Insect Rearing Professionals
Google Group

30. Field Collecting
Cabbage Loopers
Trichoplusia ni

31. Continuous Improvement in Establishing Colonies

32. III. Maintaining the Quality of Colonized Insects
Standard operating procedures for mass rearing insects (SOPs)
Consistent rearing
Diagnose problems
Strain modification
Sam 2005

33. Mass Rearing Tamarixia radiata: Standard Operating Procedures
Purpose
I. Facilities and Equipment
II. Orange Jasmine Care
III. Asian Citrus Psyllid Rearing
IV. Tamarixia radiata Rearing
V. Storage and Shipment Appendix (A) Pest Identification
Appendix (B) Sample Log Worksheets
Chris Kerr

34. Tritrophic Rearing System Tamarixia radiata SOPs
Chris Kerr

35. Mass Rearing System for Trichogramma maidis
Field collect target area
Release colony
Reared 1-3 gen.
Lab insectary
Constant temperature, RH
Factitious host
No plants
Continuous colony
Field Insectary
Fluctuating temperature, RH
ECB host
Corn plants 3-4 meters to fly
Stored, diapause, months
Release parasitized eggs, target area

36. Consistent Rearing: Fall Armyworm Density
Bill Fisher

37. Changing Procedures: Mediterranean Fruit Fly

38. Soybean Looper vs. Cabbage Looper

39. Diagnose Problems

40. Strain Modification
Maintain “natural” colony- Low productivity, high variability, expensive
Select in insectary- High productivity, uniformity, consistency, bottlenecks
Infuse from field- Short term recovery, hybridize?
Hybridize insectary and field populations- Crosses, new strains
Replace colony- New strain, adapt to insectary, low initial productivity

41. IV. Monitoring Quality Quality Control Criteria and Standardized Tests
Sampling for Consistent Quality
Quality Control Versus Methods Improvement

42. Quality Control Criteria and Standardized Tests
Quantity- Number of required stage
Rate of Development- Synchronization
Viability- Emergence, sex ratio
Size- Weight or measurements
Fecundity- Oviposition and egg hatch
Adult Behavior- Flight, longevity
Field Performance- Achieve purpose

43. Tamarixia radiata Hind Tibia Length and Parasitism on Diphorina citri Nymphs
Anonymous, UF

44. Tamarixia radiata Hind Tibia Length
Minimum, maximum and mean hind tibia length of T. radiata that were developing on different Asian citrus psyllid host nymph instars 1, 2
Host instar
Females
Males
Min
Max
x̄±SD (n)
Third
---
0.16
0.21
0.20±0.02 (13) c
Fourth
0.23
0.27
0.25±0.02 (6) b
0.24±0.02 (55) b
Fifth
0.34
0.31±0.02 (75) a
0.33
0.29±0.02 (40) a
1 Comparison of means within a given instar were not significantly different between sexes (Tukey’s HSD, α =0.05).
S:R and size effects
Chris Kerr

45. Diaphorina citri Ratios
Tamarixia radiata and
Diaphorina citri Ratios
Chris Kerr

46. Level of Tamarixia radiata Parasitism on Diphorina citri
Chris Kerr

47. Level of Tamarixia radiata Parasitism on Diphorina citri
Level of parasitism
Chris Kerr

48. Sampling for Consistent Quality
Count = Measurement = N
Mean = Sum/Number of Counts = X
Variance = Sum of (N – X)2 / n-1 = 2
Standard Deviation = Square Root of = SD

49. Number of Cabbage Looper Pupae Per Rearing Container
Shelf
Container 1 2 3 4 5 6
175
157.6
17.4
302.76
190
191
180
142
167
9.4
88.36
176
144
-13.6
184.96
192
189
156
166
8.4
70.56
138
136
-21.6
466.56
174
181
Average
190.6
190.8
179.8
158.6
Sum of Squares
1,113.2
Variance
278.3
Standard Deviation
16.7
0.5
0.8
0.9
5.8
19.4
Shelf 1 is lowest

50. Quality Control Charts

51. Quality Assurance Actions Production and Process Control
Frequency of Actions
Production and Process Control
Routinely
Periodically
Have up-to-date standard operating procedures X
Use check sheets to monitor rearing processes
Record daily production data
Track changes in production
Review production with staff
Improve product quality based on staff feedback
Product Control
Conduct product quality control assessments
Have established minimum thresholds of quality
Use standard shipping and handling procedures
Customer Service
Add customer feedback forms to shipments
Add product use instructions to shipments
Have an established customer service program
Improve product quality based on customer feedback

52. V. Quality Control Versus Methods Improvement
Monitor indicator variables
Evaluate multiple variables
Troubleshoot using QC data
Conduct evaluations rapidly
Goal is to maintain stable production

53. V. Quality Control Versus Methods Improvement
Conduct evaluations methodically
Test one variable at a time
Use controlled experiments
Test results in the production system
Goal is to optimize production

54. Ephestia kuehniella Diets
RICH DIET (R) gr %
Purina laboratory rat chow
930
9.68
Rolled oats (old-fashioned)
382
3.98
Toasted wheat germ
240
2.50
Brewer’s yeast
487
5.07
White cornmeal
2497
25.99
Whole wheat flour
2220
23.11
Honey
1500
15.62
Glycerin
1350
14.05
MEDIUM DIET (M) %
Whole wheat flour 87
Glycerin 10
Brewer’s yeast 3
SIMPLE DIET (S) %
Whole wheat flour
100
Yasaman Moghaddasi

55. E. kuehniella Pupal Weight & Egg NumberX Xx
Pupal weight
Egg number

56. E. kuehniella Egg Weight

57. VI. Periodic Review
E. F. Knipling
W. G. Eden

59. VII. Guidelines for Quality Systems
IOBC

60. International Organization for Biological Control
Mission:
to facilitate and advance cost-effective rearing of high quality insects and other arthropods in support of biological control and integrated pest management

61. Workshops of the IOBC, WGQC (AMRQC, MRQA)
1982 Gainesville, Florida E. F. Boller and D. L. Chambers
1984 Wadenswil, Switzerland E. F. Boller and D. L. Chambers
1986 Guatemala City, Guatemala C. 0. Calkins
1988 Vancouver, Canada C. 0. Calkins
1991 Wageningen, Netherlands F. Bigler and J. C. van Lenteren
1992 Horsholm, Denmark F. Bigler
1993 Rimini, Italy M. Benuzzi and N. C. Leppla
1995 Santa Barbara, California R. F. Luck and N. C. Leppla
Cali, Colombia N. C. Leppla and T. R. Ashley
Montpellier, France P. De Clercq, S. Grenier and NCL
Montreal, Canada S. Grenier and C. S. Glenister
Vienna, Austria P. De Clercq and T. A. Coudron
Bangalore, India P. De Clercq and T. A. Coudron
Merida, Mexico P. De Clercq and T. A. Coudron

62. IOBC, MRQA Guidelines and Proceedings
Publications
Cohen 2015
Van Lenteren 2009
Schneider 2009
IOBC, MRQA Guidelines and Proceedings
Morales-Ramos
et al. 2013

64. Standardized Product Control Tests
Joop van Lenteren (2003), IOBC- Guidelines for quality control of commercially produced natural enemies, 30 species
Rose Buitenhuis (2014), Grower guide to quality assurance of biocontrol products, 22 species
Custom, develop your own, site-specific

65. Insect Rearing QC References
Leppla, N. C The basics of quality control for insect rearing. In Principles and Procedures for Rearing Quality Insects. Miss. State Univ.
Schneider
Leppla, N. C Guidelines for quality control of commercially produced natural enemies. In Quality Control and Production of Biological Control Agents, Theory and Testing Procedures. CABI. Van Lenteren
Leppla, N. C Quality assurance for mass- reared parasitoids and predators. In Mass Production of Beneficial Organisms. Elsevier. Morales-Ramos, Rojas, and Shapiro-Ilan

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