The impact of a zoophytophagous, insect-free artificial diet upon the developmental rate, life table parameters, and fertility table parameters was e

The rate of ovarian maturation, stages of follicle development, fertility and fecundity of the spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) were examined under various nymphal and adult feeding regimes. In Heteroptera, both juvenile and adult nutrition potentially impact on reproductive development and fecundity. Natural larval prey (Trichoplusia ni Hübner) and an insect-free artificial diet (liver and egg-based) were used as food sources for nymphal and adult P. maculiventris. Results showed that nymphal and adult food source both played a significant role in ovarian development and reproductive output of females. The nymphal food source played a significant role in the process of oogenesis, as seen by the formation of follicles at the pre-vitellogenic stage. The adult food source significantly influenced the process of vitellogenesis as seen by the number of vitellogenic and chorionated follicles present within the ovarioles. Feeding on larval prey, at the adult stage only, improved the rate of ovarian maturation, including the number of vitellogenic follicles. However, the role of nymphal food still remained significant for the reproductive output of mated females (i.e., number of eggs and percent hatch). Feeding the artificial diet to adults that were reared as nymphs on larval prey reduced both ovarian maturation rate and fecundity to levels significantly lower than females fed larval prey during both nymphal and adult stages. The reproductive capacity of prey-fed females was not affected by mating with diet-fed males and the reproductive capacity of diet-fed females was not improved by mating with prey-fed males.

The benefits obtained from our ability to produce insects have encompassed a wide array of applications, from the early stages of examining different species, to the present day of mass production for multiple purposes