Mechanized in vivo Production of Entomopathogenic Nematodes: Expanding Biocontrol Utility

Due to environmental and regulatory concerns, research and development of non-chemical alternatives for pest suppression is necessary. Entomopathogenic nematodes are environmentally friendly biocontrol agents that can suppress a wide variety of economically important insect pests including the black vine weevil, the Japanese beetle, diaprepes root weevil, and fungus gnats. Commercialization of these nematodes, however, has not reached its potential. Our challenge is to overcome two critical barriers preventing widespread usage of entomopathogenic nematodes: 1) excessive costs in production, and 2) variable efficacy in field applications. Nematode production technology utilizing insect hosts is a well-suited approach for small businesses to produce quality nematode products. However, the costs of producing by this methods are high relative liquid fermentation approaches due to the expense of insect hosts and labor. Our objective is to determine the feasibility of fully mechanizing insect host mass production. The project will focus on producing nematodes in mealworm hosts. A basic system for producing these nematodes in mealworms is already in place, but the process lacks economy of scale and requires mechanization to achieve maximum efficiency. We propose developing a completely automated processes including production of improved quality insect host media, host inoculation, nematode harvest and packaging.