Development of larvae Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), in different diets aiming at the production of insects for animal feed (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The use of insects as ingredients in feed can be promising in the animal nutrition chain, providing a source of nutrients of excellent quality. The aim is to evaluate the development of larvae of tapeworms (Tenebrio molitor L. and Zophobas morio L, Coleoptera: Curculionidae) raised on diets with different amounts of corn bran in order to reduce the production costs of this insect for animal consumption. The experiments will be conducted at the Arthropod Ecology and Behavior Laboratory (LECOM) at the Agricultural Engineering and Sciences Campus (CECA), in an air-conditioned room at 28±2ºC, RH of 70±10% and a 12-hour photophase. The insects will be fed a standard diet consisting of corn and wheat-based growth feed. Pieces of sweet potatoes, potatoes and fresh carrots will be fed to the insects every 48 hours as a source of moisture. The experiment will be conducted in a completely randomized design with five treatments and five replications. The control treatment consists of the same standard insect feeding diet in the laboratory maintenance colony and the other treatments will consist of the addition of corn and wheat-based growth ration to the standard diet. The parameters evaluated will be: duration of the larval period, between oviposition and pupa formation; pupal period, period between pupa formation and adult hatching; and the weight of the pupae, which were weighed individually on a precision scale. For statistical analysis, data means will be subjected to analysis of variance at a significance level of 5%.