Parry, Nina JenniferPieterse, ElsjeWeldon, Christopher William2018-04-052017-12Parry, N.J., Pieterse, E. & Weldon C.W. 2017, 'Longevity, fertility and fecundity of adult blow flies (Diptera : Calliphoridae) held at varying densities : implications for use in bioconversion of waste', Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 110, no. 6, pp. 2388-2396.0022-0493 (print)1938-291X (online)10.1093/jee/tox251http://hdl.handle.net/2263/64406Large numbers of flies are needed to produce the quantity of larvae required for insect bioconversion of waste. However, this 'mass-rearing' may negatively affect adult survival and reproductive output. This study assessed the suitability for mass-rearing of four blow fly species, Chrysomya chloropyga, Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann), Chrysomya megacephala (F.), Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann) and Lucilia sericata (Meigen). Flies were kept at densities of 20, 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 flies per 30 × 30 × 30 cm cage with an even sex ratio. Time to 50% mortality (LT50) was recorded, and the effects of density, species, and sex on LT50, fecundity, and fertility were determined. Females survived longer than males across all species. There was evidence for a trade-off between survival and high fecundity in L. sericata and C. chloropyga at density 250. C. megacephala had low fecundity across all densities. At high densities, C. putoria had the lowest mortality and highest fecundity, making it the most suitable for mass-rearing.en© The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Economic Entomology following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is : 'Longevity, fertility and fecundity of adult blow flies (Diptera : Calliphoridae) held at varying densities : implications for use in bioconversion of waste', Journal of Economic Entomology, vol. 110, no. 6, pp. 2388-2396, 2017. doi : 10.1093/jee/tox251. Journal of Economic Entomology is available online at : https://academic.oup.com/jee.CalliphoridaeBioconversionDensityMass-rearingMortalityFecundityWasteLongevityFertilityBlow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae)Postprint Article