Rearing Phaenicia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on Dry Cat Food with CSMA

Phaenicia sericata (Meigen) was reared on a larval diet consisting of commercial dry cat food mixed with CSMA. In small rearing containers used for comparative studies, pupae in cat food were smaller than those in liver or fish, apparently because fungal growth in the CSMA-cat food diet impeded larval development. In the larger containers used for mass-rearing, larvae were not affected by fungal growth. The diet was used to rear ca. 500,000 flies during the course of a year.