Nutritional Requirements of the Common Housefly, Musca domestica vicina Macq

Abstract

THE housefly Musca domestica vicina Macq., which has been reared in our laboratory for four years with a modified NAIDM medium¹, was used in these experiments. Eggs were collected from oviposition dishes, washed and sterilized. The most satisfactory sterilizing solution and technique were as follows. Modified Vanderzant's solution² was prepared, with the omission of sodium glycocholate and less mercuric chloride (0.15 gm. instead of 0.25 gm.). Instead of a single treatment, the eggs were submerged in the solution twice, each for 10 min., with an interval of 1 hr. between the two treatments. After each treatment, the eggs were rinsed with bacteriologically sterile water. Plating on common bacteriological medium revealed that the percentage of contamination was less than 10 per cent and the percentage of eggs hatched was more than 50 per cent³.