ABSTRACT
The purpose of this work was to study the fecundity and the fertility of Dermanyssus gallinae under laboratory conditions. Females were maintained at 27° C, 80%UR and 12:12 (C:E). Observations were made on 3rd day after a blood meal when the total number of eggs was evaluated and a new blood meal was offered. The results showed that the females began to lay eggs just after the first blood meal and continued to lay eggs up to the 7th day after the meal. The highest percentage of females (58%) laid eggs after the first meal. After thesecond meal this percentage began to decrease until the8th meal, when only one female was present, but it died before it was able to lay eggs. Dermanyssus gallinae females had a total of 7 oviposition cycles totaling 25 eggs.
KEY WORDS
Haematophagous mites; poultry hens; laboratory rearing