A mutated zen ventral repression element (VRE) (sequence from -1.6 to -1.0kb relative to the zen transcription start site), in which all four dl protein binding sites have been converted to the sequence of the lower affinity TD5 site (from the twi PE sequence) is fused upstream of the eve MSE. The VRE sequence is in the same orientation relative to the promoter as in the native zen promoter.