Are the bacteria always present in commercially produced nematodes?
Yes and Not Always! This is a very important quality control issue. Yes, if the nematodes are produced on live insect hosts. By producing nematodes on live insect hose, the offspring always consume and store the bacteria produced by their parents in the host insect from which they emerge. Not always, if nematodes are produced by artificial fermentation on artificial media. When producing nematodes by artificial fermentation the bacteria are cultured separately from the nematode, introduced to the media before bacteria-free nematode are introduced. If every thing goes as it should, the offspring will contain the proper bacteria in the proper amounts. Under this kind of production, a major quality control operation is to test the quality of the bacteria and to test the product after production to assure that it contains the correct bacteria and an appropriate amount of bacteria.
