IOBC: Rove beetle (Aleochara bilineata)
The IOBC: Rove beetle (Aleochara bilineata) test assesses the effect of a substance on reproductive success of a ground-dwelling beetle which lays its eggs in soil; the larvae hatching from these parasitize the pupae of flies. Male and female adult beetles are exposed to a moistened quartz sand, or a standardized soil, on which the test substance has been applied by spraying or incorporation. Onion fly pupae are added over 3 weeks, and at 4 weeks the adult beetles are removed. The onion fly pupae are placed in hatching units and monitored over several weeks for emergence of adult rove beetles.