Agency:

Agricultural Research Service

March 15, 1995; May 27, 1997

The invention is an improved artificial diet for rearing Catolaccus grandis, a parasite of the cotton boll weevil. The growth medium may be used for mass propagation of C. grandis from eggs to adult for their subsequent release for biological control, as well as to support the growth of adult female wasps of C. grandis as breeding stock for continued mass rearing. The invention comprises amino acid, mineral, vitamin, lipid and carbohydrate fractions which are present in amounts and proportions effective to support C. grandis growth. The invention is an effective environmental alternative to petrochemical pesticides.

Maria Guadalupe Rojas	Juan Alfredo Morales-Ramos
USDA, ARS, SPA	USDA, ARS, SPA
Weslaco, TX 78596	Weslaco, TX 78596
(210) 969-4852	(210) 969-4852
(210) 969-4888 (fax)	(210) 969-4888 (fax)

Industry Keywords:

biocontrol, organisms, female wasps, boll weevil