Skip to main content
ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Biological Control of Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #67524

Title: INSECT-FREE DIET TESTED FOR REARING PERILLUS BIOCULATUS, PODISUS MACULIVENTRIS AND COLEOMEGILLA MACULATA

Author
item Coudron, Thomas
item Greany, Patrick

Submitted to: Entomology International Congress
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/26/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Several ingredients have become common to many artificial diets developed for phytophagous insects (e.g. wheat germ) and often pre-established diets are tested or modified when attempts are made to rear alternate insects. Similarly a list of ingredients is becoming increasingly common in artificial media for rearing entomophagous insects (e.g. ground meat and egg yolk). As with diets for phytophagous insects, there may be a basic media that will be a good starting point for investigations into rearing additional entomophagous insects. Since an empirically based media may prove more complete for predaceous entomophagous insects, due to their reliance on extra-oral digestion to enhance the nutrient quality of their food source, the nutritional viability of a single empirical media (liquid) was evaluated for rearing two pentatomids and one coccinellid. Adults of Perillus bioculatus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) fed exclusively on the liquid ddiet, oviposited, the eggs hatched, the F1 nymphs fed on the liquid media and developed to adults, oviposited few eggs, but none were viable. Late instar nymphs of Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) fed on the liquid media, developed to adults that laid viable eggs and the F1 generation developed to adults. Late instar nymphs of Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) appearing more hesitant, did feed on the media and developed through to the adult stage. The development of all three predators was slower on the liquid media than on a insect-based diet. Though limitations are evident with this insect-free empirical media, it may have the potential of serving as a starting media for predaceous entomophagous insects.