Database of Insect, Mite and Nematode Cultures
The primary purpose of this database is to provide a comprehensive world-wide listing of producers and distributors who are willing to sell or donate live insects, mites or nematodes. It is intended to provide those in need with a current source for accessing live cultures and to give registrants the opportunity to expand their client base. Registrants listed on the database can be sorted by the viewer according to order, family, genus, scientific name, common name¹, use category, geographical region of production², or target pest of biological control agent.
Although catalogues of live cultures have been prepared in the distant past, they have been difficult to update because of the format they were published in. With the advent of the Internet, this is now easily achieved. The electronic database that we’ve established has been designed to ensure and maintain validity in perpetuity. Submissions are screened, e-mail addresses are verified, and registrants are contacted annually to ensure validity of all contact information and available cultures. Registrants may review their information at any time and submit revisions.
Registrants are required to submit contact information, identify the culture(s) that they have available for sale or distribution, and select use categories, geographical region of production, and target pest of biological control agents from drop down menus. Culture identities can be entered by selecting appropriate information from our drop down menus or by manually entering taxonomic data for those species not yet incorporated. As more is learned about various organisms, taxonomists often move the location of species within the established hierarchical system of nomenclature or revise the system accordingly, resulting in multiple somewhat disputed classification schemes. To ensure that taxonomy is applied consistently between registrants of this database, we have provided a static comprehensive list of orders for insects, mites and nematodes even though it would be unlikely that we’d ever have listings under each and every order identified. Thirty-five orders of insects have been listed, including the newly identified order Mantophasmatodea. The insect orders Heteroptera and Homoptera are listed separately, whereas some taxonomists combine them under the name Hemiptera. Insect orders Mallophaga and Anoplura are listed here separately, rather than combining them under the name Phthiraptera. All mites are identified under the single order name Acari. Twenty-one orders of Nematodes are listed from the classes Secernentea and Adenophorea.
Another feature of the database is our adopt-a-colony program. Registrants who are no longer willing to maintain one of their colonies may post it for adoption and possibly connect with another establishment who may be willing to accept rearing responsibilities.
This database will become more useful as additional producers and distributors decide to participate and have their cultures listed. We hereby solicit your enrolment and encourage you to make your colleagues and peers aware of this database.
Great Lakes Forestry Centre
1219 Queen St. East
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5
This database is sponsored by the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), Natural Resources Canada under the auspices of the Insect Production Services (IPS) rearing facility. All submissions by producers distributors have been reviewed by IPS and approved prior to inclusion. Approval does not necessarily signify the accuracy of their data or the availability of their cultures. Mention of certain cultures in this database does not imply endorsement of the producer, distributor or their products by the CFS.
¹many common names were provided by the Entomological Society of Canada.
²geographic region refers to six regional sections identified by the International Organization for Biological Control.