Artificial Diets for Arthropods

Technology Description:

The invention relates to improved artificial diets or growth medium for rearing arthropods, including zoophagous arthropods and phytophagous arthropods including facultatively zoophagous phytophages. The diets of the invention are free of insect components and meat products such as meat paste. The artificial growth media of the invention represents a major breakthrough for large-scale production of arthropods. Because of the high quality of arthropods produced, the lower price of the diets and the greater ease of microbial decontamination, these diets have the potential to greatly expand the uses of arthropods in agriculture. The invention fulfills the need for large scale production of arthropods necessary for technologies such as sterile insect release, production of pathogens, and parasitic insects using mass-produced arthropods as food.

Reference:

Please refer to Patent Number 6,235,528, which issued May 22, 2001.

Inventor:

Allen C. Cohen
USDA, ARS, MSA
Biological Control and Mass Rearing Research
Mississippi State, MS 39762-5367
(662) 320-7545 / Fax: (662) 320-7571 
acohen@bcmrru.ars.usda.gov