Controlling the egg period of the West Indian sweetpotato weevil, Euscepes postfasciatus (Coleoptera: Curclionidae) by a combination of two different incubation temperatures.

We measured the egg period of Euscepes postfasciatus at two incubation temperatures, 25°C and 20°C, and under several schedules that differed from each other with regard to the durations of the two temperatures. The peak egg hatch at 25°C was observed at 8 d after oviposition, and that at 20°C at 15 d after oviposition. As the duration of incubation at 25°C was decreased from 6 d to 1 d, the peak hatch delay extended from 9 d to 14 d after oviposition, indicating that the egg period of the species can be controlled from 8 d to 15 d. The hatchability did not vary significantly among the different incubation schedules; thus, this method for controlling the egg period of E. postfasciatus can be used for artificial rearing of the species without adverse effects on insect survival.