Red-Eyed Fly Tutorial

Ormia depleta (Wiedemann) (OR-mee-a dep-LATE-a), dubbed the "Brazilian red-eyed fly" by the popular press, is a species of tachinid fly native to South America, whose larvae are parasitoids of Scapteriscus mole crickets.

In 1987, University of Florida entomologists devised methods for getting Ormia depleta to breed in captivity. From 1988-1992, releases were made in several counties, many of them under a project sponsored by the Florida Turfgrass Association. By December 1994, there seemed to be a continuous population of flies in at least 38 Florida counties.

There are 15 blocks of instruction in this tutorial.

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