Material and methods
Black soldier fly Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae were obtained from a colony maintained at constant temperature (27 °C, 67% relative humidity) in a container (3 m × 2 m) in Dübendorf, Switzerland. The container
was fitted with two windows, as direct sunlight is required for
successful mating (Tomberlin & Sheppard 2002). Females
oviposited in the flutes of strips of corrugated cardboard
which were attached to the wall of a bucket containing wet
chicken feed as an attractant (as proposed by Tomberlin &
Sheppard 2002). The larvae were reared on chicken feed
(UFA 625) thoroughly mixed with water (60% moisture). All
feeding experiments were conducted in a temperature-controlled, insulated container (T = 26 °C (SE: 0.02), relative
humidity = 67% (SE 0.14), 12 h photoperiod)