Project Directorate of Biological Control, H.A. Farm Post, P.B. No. 2491, Bangalore-560 024, Karnataka (India).
Six different semi-synthetic diets were evaluated in the laboratory for rearing of Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), an important predator of aphids and other soft bodied insects. A diet (13.58 g) comprising pig liver paste (5.0 g), egg yolk (5.0 g), sucrose (1.0 g), honey (1.0 g), yeast extract (1.0 g), hydrolysed yeast (0.4 g), groundnut oil (0.1 g), and agar agar (0.08 g) was found to be promising, recording highest survival (47%), longevity (42 days) and fecundity (85 eggs/female) as compared to natural diet (aphids) 81%, 76 days and 403 eggs/female, respectively.
