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Abstract

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of 12 artificial diets, containing insect hemolymph, chicken egg yolk and salt solution on in vitro rearing of Trissolcus grandis (Thompson) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae). The first diet consisting of 50% hemolymph and 50% chicken egg yolk caused 100% mortality in larvae after 3 h. By reducing hemolymph and adding salt solution 10-13.3% of larvae grew up to the middle of 1st instar and died after 48 h. In a diet with 20% salt solution and equal amount of 40% for each of hemolymph and chicken egg yolk, 4.7% of larvae reached to the end of 1st instar but died before moulting after 72 h. The best diet which supported larval growth up to 50.7% at 1st instar (72 h) and 13.2% at 2nd instar (168 h) composed of 25% hemolymph, 50% chicken egg yolk, 25% salt solution and 10% host egg contents. No pupae were obtained on artificial diets. The larval developmental time was longer on artificial diet compared with that on natural host eggs. The hemolymph of Antheraea pupae was better than that of Chilo larvae or Pseudaletia pupae.