Tests on the preoviposition period of the house fly, Musca domestica l

The effect of food on longevity and reproduction in flies

“…It is further interesting to note that whereas insoluble starch in suspension cannot be used by flies, soluble starch or hydrated starch in which the grains are broken by heat can be eaten and digested accompanied by an increase in longevity and by the production of eggs. In 1916, Hutchison, in some work on the preoviposition period of the house-fly, found a variation from 2; to 23 days. In the present writer's experiments in which ovipositions occurred in mixed sex lots, the preoviposition period varied from 11 to 24 days with an arithmetical mean of 15 days.…”

The oviposition response of insects /

“…Among the groups of insects which possess mature eggs upon reaching the adult stage, some species, under favorable conditions, lay their eggs soon after emerging, whereas others retain them for a more or less extended period of time. The state of nutrition and weather conditions modify greatly the extent of this period (26,40) .…”