Dear Canadian Biologists: We are writing this letter to inquire whether there is sufficient demand among Canadian biologists to justify starting new commercial colonies of three generalist feeding moths (Spodoptera exigua, Heliothis virescens, and Helicoverpa zea). Recent changes to the inspection of live insects by the United States Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have made importing insect eggs, larvae and adults from the U.S.A. untenable for research purposes. In fact, many companies are unwilling to even attempt shipping across borders at this time. Although there are some excellent sources of commercial insect colonies in Canada, unfortunately there are no large-scale Canadian suppliers for the species listed above. In collaboration with several labs and one Federal agency in Canada, we are investigating the feasibility of starting commercial insect colonies for the three species listed above within Canada. The colony would be reared with the highest standards of quality and cleanliness to reduce the incidence of parasites and with all proper certifications. To gauge the potential demand and thus feasibility of starting these colonies, we ask that Canadian biologists that might make use of these colonies to respond to: [email protected]. In this email please indicate: a) Which species you would require b) The frequency at which you would order c) The number of insects you would typically order d) Your professional affiliation (e.g. Ag Canada, CFS, McGill University, etc.) Best regards, Marc Johnson Assistant Professor Dept. of Biology University of Toronto Mississauga
