Mass rearing the multicolored Asian lady beetle on beet armyworm larvae

The multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) is an important natural enemy of many Hemipteran,Lepidopteran and Coleopteran insect pests.Mass rearing and industrialization of this species for field release as part of IPM programs is a promising way to control aphid infestations.A pilot facility to produce these beetles on an industrial scale by feeding them exclusively on larvae of the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) has been established at the Henan Jiyuan Baiyun Industry Co.,Ltd.,the Pilot-Scale Base of Bio-pesticides,Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,in Henan Province.We here describe the methods used to rear lady beetles at this facility and discuss the problems and obstacles that need overcoming in order to improve the production and commercialization of lady beetles as biocontrol agents.