Comparative Effect of Natural and Artificial Larval Diets on Biology of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

A semi-solid artificial diet was compared with a factitious host Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) eggs for economic mass rearing and commercial use of green lacewings Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) in release programs against a variety of pests. The results revealed that highest percent larval survival and adult emergence were 93.25 plus or minus 0.53 and 91.50 plus or minus 0.63 on artificial diet compared with 85.25 plus or minus 1.30 and 81.75 plus or minus 1.60 on S. cerealella eggs, respectively. The larval period was much longer (10.00 plus or minus 0.20 days) on artificial diet than on natural diet of frozen eggs of S. cerealella (8.50 plus or minus 0.20 days) during sixth generation. The mean pupal weight of C. carnea fed artificial diet was 8.3 plus or minus 0.0 mg and for those fed on S. cerealella eggs, it was 8.1 plus or minus 0.0 mg in sixth generation. Similarly, fecundity per female was higher (397.10 plus or minus 3.60) for adults fed on artificial diet than it was for the larvae fed frozen eggs. The fertility of eggs of C. carnea diet-reared individuals was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) than S. cerealella-reared individuals. Almost all biological parameters of C. carnea studied, were higher in generation six, compared with generation one in both natural as well as artificial diets.