Project properties
Title Health and Immunology of Black soldier fly, <i> Hermetia illucens </i>
Group Entomology, Laboratory of
Project type thesis
Credits 36
Supervisor(s) Dr. Sevasti Maistrou, Parth Shah, Prof. dr. ir. Joop van Loon
Examiner(s) Prof. dr. Marcel Dicke
Contact info sevasti.maistrou@wur.nl, parth.shah@wur.nl
Begin date 2021/01/04
End date
Description The project is a part of NWO-project INSECTFEED (https://insectfeed.nl/). Insect production is part of an integrated food production system that aims to attain zero waste and preservation of natural resources. The current project focuses on determining the effect of different biotic and abiotic factors on the health and immunity of Black Soldier fly, Hermetia illucens.

For their use as feed for poultry and pigs, the fly larvae are currently mass produced in industrial settings. The flies are fed with organic by-products, collected from different sources. These by-products could contain potential entomopathogens which can compromise the health of the whole production system. Additionally, the health and wellfare of the flies can be negatively affected by ecological factors such as temperature, diet quality and/or quantity and density.

During the master thesis, the student will conduct experiments to determine the effect of bacterial and fungal pathogens and various stresses on the health of black soldier fly larvae. During these experiments the mortality under different pathogenic or stressful conditions will be estimated as well as the immune response. This will be achieved by the use of in-vivo and in-vitro assays, such as survival bioassays, biochemical assays, microbiological assays, and combining it with the use of molecular techniques, mostly qPCR. Skills in various microbiological and molecular techniques will be obtained as well as a better understanding of concepts such as virulence, immunity, evolution of virulence, arms race or how different non-pathogenic factors can have an impact on the overall health of an organism.

Projects with later starting dates are also available. Kindly contact for more information about the project and starting dates.
Used skills Experimental design, survival analysis, handling of microorganisms, rearing of insects, artificial and natural ways to infection insects, qPCR, data-analysis, scientific writing
Requirements For doing a BSc-thesis at Entomology, there are no requirements for specific courses.
For doing a MSc-thesis or internship at Entomology, the following requirements apply: ENT-30806 + a second ENT-course (preferably ENT-30306 or ENT-50806 or ENT-53806). As an alternative for the second ENT-course, PHP-30806 or BHE-30306 can be selected.
Note: These requirements do not apply for MBI students; MBI students should check the requirements for doing an ENT MSc-thesis or internship in the study program of their specialization.