Evaluation of Black Soldier Fly Hermetia illucens as Food for Pink-Spotted Lady Beetle Coleomegilla maculata

The discovery of new and improved factitious and artificial diets is necessary for cost-effective rearing of predatory arthropods. This study evaluated black soldier fly (BSF) as a suitable alternative food source for rearing the predatory coccinellid ( ). The hypothesis that BSF larval powder was s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-11, Vol.14 (12), p.902
Main Authors: Riddick, Eric W, Walker, Ryan C, Rojas, Maria Guadalupe, Morales-Ramos, Juan A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Algae
Aquatic plants
Artemia franciscana
Arthropods
Artificial diets
augmentative biological control
Beetles
Biological control
Brines
Chlorella vulgaris
Coccinellidae
Coleomegilla maculata
Diet
Experiments
factitious diet
Fatty acids
Food
Food sources
Hermetia illucens
Hypotheses
Insects
Laboratories
Lipids
Mass rearing
Oviposition
Pest control
Pests
Powder
Predators
Proteins
Reproduction
Shrimps
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Summary:The discovery of new and improved factitious and artificial diets is necessary for cost-effective rearing of predatory arthropods. This study evaluated black soldier fly (BSF) as a suitable alternative food source for rearing the predatory coccinellid ( ). The hypothesis that BSF larval powder was suitable food to support the growth, development, and reproduction of was tested in the laboratory. When compared to a standard in-house diet containing brine shrimp egg powder plus green algae and myristic acid (BSE+CM), the BSF and BSF+CM diets reduced immature growth and development. Immatures successfully reared to teneral adults were smaller when fed BSF or BSF+CM rather than BSE+CM. Combining BSF with a powdered artificial diet (AD), i.e., BSF+AD, did not improve predator growth or development, compared to reared on BSE+CM. oviposition responses, i.e., egg clutch production, to BSF vs. BSE+CM or BSF+AD vs. BSE+CM did not differ significantly. In conclusion, BSF has the potential to be food that supports oviposition behavior. Future research is necessary to discover an ideal mixture of BSF, BSE+CM, or AD that supports growth, development, and reproduction over multiple generations.
ISSN:2075-4450
2075-4450
DOI:10.3390/insects14120902