The Basics of Quality Control
for Insect Rearing
2015
Norm Leppla
University of Florida
Entomology and Nematology
Department
I. Introduction
Norm’s Career in Insect Rearing
• University of Arizona- Insect rearing research, 2 years
• USDA, ARS- Insectary management, Florida and Texas,
17 years
• USDA, APHIS- Methods development, Washington DC
and international, 7 years
• University of Florida- Integrated pest management and
biological control, 18 years
• Rearing and quality of Tamarixia radiata (Chris Kerr)
• Extension IPM (http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu)
Countries of Workshop Students
Quality Control Topics
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Introduction- Learning how to
rear quality insects
Colony Establishment and
Maintenance
Monitoring Quality
Evaluation and Management
Guidelines for Quality Systems
Total Quality Management
Learning How to Rear High
Quality Insects
•Apprentice in an insectary
•Network with other professionals
•Literature plus trial-and-error
•Visit other insectaries
•Reviews by experts
•Education and training programs
MSU Insect Rearing Center
Frank Davis
John Schneider
•Online courses
•Classroom courses
•Webinars
•Mentoring
http://insectdiets.com/
2004
Insectary
Manager
Network
Anyone associated with the mass
rearing of insects
65 Members
http://www.entsoc.org/
Insect Rearing Professionals
Google Group
Subscribe:
(leonwesterd@gmail.com)
Léon Westerd
Group moderator
Head of insect rearing
Wageningen UR, Netherlands
VI. Total Quality Management
Generic Guidelines for
Quality Systems
•Policy, Planning and Administration
•Design Assurance and Change Control
•Control of Purchased Materials
•Production Quality Control
•User Contact and Field Performance
•Corrective Action
•Employees- Select, Train and Motivate
Quality Control Programs
•Individual Companies
Customers
•International Standards
ISO 9000
ASTM
•The Marketplace
Quality Products
Specifications- Requirements for
a product or service
Standards- The level of quality at
which a specification is written
Parts of an Insect Rearing System
A Complete QA System
II. Colony Establishment and
Maintenance
II. A. Purposes for Rearing Insects
II. B. Types of Insect Rearing Systems
II. C. Options for Colonizing Insects
II. D. Maintaining the Quality of
Colonized Insects
II. A. Purposes for Rearing Insects
White witch,
Thysania
agrippina
(Lepidoptera:
Noctuidae
II. B. Types of Insect
Rearing Systems
Painted Lady
Monarch
Small-Scale Rearing: Butterflies
Annie Lorie
“Insect rearing is never a
boring task; insects are
always doing something
interesting and pose new
challenges all the time”
Punky
Rogers
Medium-Scale
Rearing
Mass Rearing- Medfly
El Pino,
Guatemala
Capacity- 3.5 billion sterile
male pupae per week
Metapa, Mexico
II. C. Options for Colonizing
Insects
Peter Ebling
Insect Producer Database Mgr.
Great Lakes Forestry Centre
1219 Queen St. East
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5
peter.ebling@nrcan.gc.ca
(705) 541-5517
•World-wide listing,
35 insect & 21
nematode orders
•Data submitted by
sources
•Searchable
database
•Expand clients
•Adopt-a-colony
http://www.insect.glfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca
Field Collecting
Cabbage Loopers
Trichoplusia ni
Continuous Improvement of
Insect Rearing
II. D. Maintaining the Quality
of Colonized Insects
•Collection of appropriate biotypes
•Colonization and strain development
•Rearing proficiency
•Colony management (SOPs)
•Select, infuse, hybridize
•Strain replacement
Sam 2005
Soybean Looper vs. Cabbage Looper
Tritrophic Rearing System
Tamarixia radiata SOPs
Colony Management
• Maintain- Low productivity,
variability, expensive
• Select- High productivity,
uniformity, consistency
• Infuse- Short term recovery,
hybridize?
• Hybridize- New strain, crosses
• Replace- New strain, adaptation
III. Monitoring Quality
III. A. Quality Control Criteria
and Standardized Tests
III. B. Sampling for Consistent
Quality
III. C. Production, Process and
Product Control
III. A. 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
Standardized QC Tests
• Joop van Lenteren (2003), IOBCGuidelines 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, sitespecific
Number of Cabbage Looper
Pupae Per Rearing Container
Shelf
Container
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
175
157.6
17.4
302.76
190
190
191
180
142
2
167
157.6
9.4
88.36
191
191
190
180
176
3
144
157.6
-13.6
184.96
191
190
192
189
156
4
166
157.6
8.4
70.56
191
192
190
176
138
5
136
157.6
-21.6
466.56
190
191
190
174
181
Average
157.6
190.6
190.8
190.6
179.8
158.6
0.5
0.8
0.9
5.8
19.4
Sum of
Squares
1,113.2
Variance
278.3
Standard
Deviation
16.7
Shelf 1 is lowest
III. B. 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
2=
SD
Quality Control Charts
Tamarixia radiata Parasitism
on 3rd, 4th and 5th Instar
Diphorina citri Nymphs
Anonymous, UF
Level of T. radiata Parasitism
on D. citri
Level of T. radiata Parasitism
on D. citri
T. Radiata Sex Ratio
T. 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
Females
Males
Host
instar
Min
Max
x̄±SD (n)
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
0.21
0.27
0.24±0.02 (55) b
Fifth
0.34
0.31±0.02 (75) a
0.27
0.33
0.29±0.02 (40) a
0.27
1 Comparison
of means within a given instar were not significantly different between
sexes (Tukey’s HSD, α =0.05).
III. C. Production, Process
and Product Control
Quality Assurance Actions
Production and Process Control
Frequency of Actions
Routinely
Have up-to-date standard operating procedures
Periodically
X
Use check sheets to monitor rearing processes
X
Record daily production data
X
Track changes in production
X
Review production with staff
X
Improve product quality based on staff feedback
X
Product Control
Conduct product quality control assessments
X
Have established minimum thresholds of quality
X
Use standard shipping and handling procedures
X
Customer Service
Add customer feedback forms to shipments
X
Add product use instructions to shipments
X
Have an established customer service program
X
Improve product quality based on customer feedback
X
IV. Evaluation and Management
IV. A. Structured Diagnostic
Procedures
IV. B. Quality Control Versus
Methods Improvement
IV. C. Periodic Review
IV. A. Structured Diagnostic
Procedures
IV. B. Quality Control Versus
Methods Improvement
Quality Control
• Monitor indicator variables
• Evaluate multiple variables
• Troubleshoot using QC data
• Conduct evaluations rapidly
• Goal is to maintain stable production
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
IV. C. Periodic Review
W. G. Eden
E. F. Knipling
V. Guidelines for Quality
Systems
IOBC
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
http://www.amrqc.org
Workshops of the IOBC,
WGQC (AMRQC, MRQA)
1982
1984
1986
1988
1991
1992
1993
1995
1998
2003
2007
2010
2013
Gainesville, Florida
Wadenswil, Switzerland
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Vancouver, Canada
Wageningen, Netherlands
Horsholm, Denmark
Rimini, Italy
Santa Barbara, California
Cali, Colombia
Montpellier, France
Montreal, Canada
Vienna, Austria
Bangalore, India
E. F. Boller and D. L. Chambers
E. F. Boller and D. L. Chambers
C. 0. Calkins
C. 0. Calkins
F. Bigler and J. C. van Lenteren
F. Bigler
M. Benuzzi and N. C. Leppla
R. F. Luck and N. C. Leppla
N. C. Leppla and T. R. Ashley
P. De Clercq, S. Grenier and NCL
S. Grenier and C. S. Glenister
P. De Clercq and T. A. Coudron
P. De Clercq and T. A. Coudron
Insect Pest
Control (IPC)
http://www-naweb.iaea.org/nafa/ipc/public/ipc-model-plansterile-insect-technique.html
Insect Rearing Quality Control
References
• Leppla, N. C. 2013. Quality Assurance for Mass-Reared
Parasitoids and Predators. In Mass Production of
Beneficial Organisms. Elsevier. Morales-Ramos,
Rojas, and Shapiro-Ilan
• Leppla, N. C. 2009. The basics of quality control for
insect rearing. In Principles and Procedures for
Rearing Quality Insects. Miss. State Univ. Schneider
• Leppla, N. C. 2004, 2008. Rearing of Insects.
Encyclopedia of Entomology. Kluwer. Capinera
• Leppla, N. C. 2003. 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
For more information or a copy of
this presentation please visit:
http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu