A Method of Providing Artificial Diets to Chrysopa Larvae

Droplets of artificial liquid diet each surrounded by a thin paraffin coating permitted lst-instar larvae of Chrysopa carnea Stephens (= plorabunda Fitch and californica Coquillett) to reach the adult stage during observational trials. The larval developmental period was slower than larvae reared on aphids, and the adults produced were smaller than aphid-fed larvae. Although still far from being a practical method of culturing Chrysopa larvae, the feeding response to the paraffin-covered droplets indicates that it is an effective method of providing artificial diets to predaceous larvae (Fig. 1).