Abstract: Entomopathogenic nematodes are cultured in a culture vessel comprising a tray with side walls and an overlapping lid, also with side walls. A gasket of polyether polyurethane foam is positioned around the inside edge of the lid, preferably in a gutter formed by the walls of the lid and inclined flanges attached to the lid. Preferably the lid has apertures in it, closed with resilient seals. Stop members, mounted on the inside faces of the walls of the tray, prevent forced movement of the lid towards the tray when the flanges bear against the stop members, thus enabling the culture vessels to be stacked on each other without over-compression of the foam gasket. A method of rearing nematodes using such a culture vessel involves coating a layer of crumbed foam in the tray with an offal homogenate, closing the culture vessel, autoclaving it, inoculating the coated foam with the appropriate symbiotic bacterium, incubating this bacteria at about 23.degree. C.

Abstract: To transport entomopathogenic nematodes, it is necessary to store them in a manner such that a significant proportion of them survive after being stored and are reactivated when dispersed in water. The present invention provides storage by mixing an aqueous cream of clean third stage infective juveniles (J3) of nematodes with clay. The clay may be in chip form, or calcined, milled and sieved, but comporises from about 33 percent (by weight) to 67 percent (by weight) of the homogeneous mixture. Alternatively a layer of the aqueous cream may be placed on a layer of clay, then covered with another layer of clay. In another variation of the invention, the nematode cream is spread on an absorbent substrate which is then placed on a layer of clay while the relative humidity is reduced to 60 percent, to dry the nematode cream. Preferred clays are attapulgite clays, diatomaceous clays and kieselguhr. The nematodes are preferably of the family Steinernematidae or Heterorhabditidae.

Abstract: A formulation for use in the biological control of insects, particularly insect pests, comprises an oil suspension of the infective stage of nematodes such as Neoaplectana carpocapsae parasitic to the larvae of those insects. The formulation may be distributed in the form of droplets or films of oil containing this infective stage of the nematodes. Also disclosed is a method and assemblage for rearing nematodes.