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Larvae fed on the surface of the medium, clearing tiny furrows; 

 rarely did they burrow under the food. Individuals approaching a 

 colony of mold remained in one spot for several hours while sweeping 

 the anterior half of their bodies from side to side, eating a 

 semicircular swath. They exhibited gregarious habits, and in vials 

 containing only a few larvae, would usually all be found together. 

 Groups of larvae kept the medium churned and loose, and mold growth 

 minimal. In single rearings, the diet medium often became packed and 

 moldy. 



Experiments using the modified 24 and 4-well tissue-culture trays 

 for individual rearing were sometimes complicated by migrations of 

 wandering larvae from one well to another, in spite of tight-fitting 

 covers designed to preclude this. Seven-dram rearing vials proved to 

 be better containers for individual rearing because the larvae could 

 not migrate from one to the other. Also, high RH was more easily 

 maintained due to the larger volume of plaster in the bottom of each 

 vial . 



Just prior to pupation, 4th instar larvae moved to the periphery 

 of the medium where they attached their posterior ends to the side of 

 the vial; they rarely attached to the surface of the food material. 

 At the onset of pupation, the body swelled anteriorly and the old 

 larval skin split. The pupa emerged, still attached to the substrate 

 and with the larval skin retained at its posterior end. Newly formed 

 pupae were whitish in color and soon turned golden brown. About 24 to 

 36 hours prior to adult eclosion, the pupa turned dark with the 

 formation of eyes, wings, legs and antennae. Pupae were able to 

 survive under much dryer conditions than larvae. 



