Heliothis eggs and static electricity???

[O.G. Marti, Jr.]

Our rearing department produces many thousands of Heliothis zea eggs 
daily.  I need to use mine as single eggs in the field, but often find that they 
are clumped into groups of 2 to 5 and are difficult to separate.  We run 
them thru a strainer and discard the clumped eggs.  However, now I find 
that the eggs cling to the top of the plastic petri dish that I use to take 
them to the field and generally jump around around a lot, depending on 
where my hand is placed on the dish, from static electricity. I lose a lot of 
eggs this way. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to prevent the eggs 
from clumping (which probably is not due to static electricity) and jumping 
(which probably is due to static electricity)?

Cheers,
Dick Marti

Orville G. Marti, Jr., Microbiologist
USDA, ARS, IBPMRL
PO Box 748
Tifton, GA.  31793

omarti at tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu
Phone: 912-387-2328  (office)
Phone: 912-387-2350  (lab)
FAX  : 912-387-2321 
WEB: http://sacs.cpes.peachnet.edu/ibpmrl

 
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