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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #322991
Title: Factitious foods to reduce production costs of beneficial insects

Author
item Rojas, Maria - Guadalupe
item Morales Ramos, Juan
item Riddick, Eric

Submitted to: Adjacent Government UK Magazine
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2015
Publication Date: 11/12/2015
Citation: Rojas, M.G., Morales Ramos, J.A., Riddick, E.W. 2015. Factitious foods to reduce production costs of beneficial insects. Adjacent Government UK Magazine. 8:288-289.

Interpretive Summary: Biological control relays on the use or natural enemies to reduce and manage populations which can be an alternative to pesticides for reducing agricultural losses due to arthropod pests. Factitious foods are used to produce predators of economically important pests such as stink bugs, aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, etc., at reduced costs.

Technical Abstract: This article reports the use of factitious foods such as Tenebrio molitor pupa, E. kuehniella eggs, Ephestia eggs, and or Artemia franciscana eggs for the rearing of beneficial insect such as Podisus maculiventris, spined soldier bug and several ladybird predators belonging to the Coccinellidae family, respectively. The use of factitious host makes possible the rearing of beneficial insects at reduced cost.