Methods and systems for sorting and imaging insects

An automation system for assaying the activity of insecticidal compounds in a high throughput mode comprising:

• a. a sorting system capable of dispensing insect eggs into a multi-well plate, wherein the sorting system comprises:
• i. a flow channel configured to deliver insect eggs from the sorting system to the multi-well plate;
• ii. an illumination source configured to illuminate insect eggs within the flow channel;
• and
• iii. an optical detector, wherein the optical detector is configured to measure time of flight or optical density of a respective insect egg when the illumination source illuminates said insect egg within the flow channel;
• and
• iv. a processor, wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the optical detector and configured to determine insect eggs that are likely to hatch based on the measured time of flight or optical density of the insect eggs that are delivered to the multi-well plate;
• b. a robotic arm configured to transport the multi-well plate;
• c. a measuring device, wherein the measuring device is capable of measuring movement or determining a metric measurement within a plate of the multi-well plate;
• and
• d. a control computer, wherein the control computer is communicatively coupled to the processor of the sorting system, the robotic arm, and the measuring device, and wherein the control computer is capable of coordinating the functions and timings of the sorting system, the robotic arm, and the measuring device of the automation system.