Partial characterization of a cubic Bacillus phage. Can. J. Microbiol. 24: 986--993. Phage Bam35 is an icosahedron of about 63 nm in diameter. It has a double capsid with spikes at the vertices, and a tail which seems to appear upon nucleic acid ejection. The phage contains DNA and, probably, lipids which seem to be located in the inner coat. The phage is Bacillus-specific, UV- and lipase-resistant, and sensitive to heat, chloroform, and ether. The latent period is 50 min and the burst size is 39. Page Bam35 belongs to a new virus group which includes a phage of B. anthracis and four phages of gram-negative bacteria harboring drug-resistance plasmids.

One of the most important factors limiting the use of coccinellid beetles in the biological control of certain insect pests is the difficulty experienced in rearing sufficient quantities. The standard method of rearing them on suitable hosts is often impracticable because of their restrictive diets. Such difficulties were encountered when the introduction of some coccinellid beetles was attempted in French Morocco, as a control measure for a coccid (Parlatoria blanchardi Targ.) on date trees. The problem of rearing or obtaining the host in sufficient quantity greatly hampered the production of the predators. For this reason, considerable time and effort was devoted to the development of a satisfactory and economic technique for the breeding of these predators on artificial media.

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