All individuals emerged from the same sample of cocoons.
All cocoons that formed from parasitized hosts were removed from the stems and kept separately in vials plugged with cotton wool.
To make silk, the filaments from several cocoons are unwound and reeled together, resulting in fibres of extraordinary strength.
Parasitoid cocoons were weighed, the wasp development time calculated and adult emergence monitored.
Each generation, 150-200 cocoons were chosen at random from more than 1000 cocoons to produce adults for maintaining the culture.
On the other hand, the soil was less compressed in the frames than in the field, making access to host cocoons easier.
The cocoons were collected and placed in clean containers for adult emergence.
The cocoons were transferred to ventilated plastic containers for adult emergence and mating.
