ABSTRACT
The comparisons and observations made should serve to further the understanding of predatory insects produced under other than natural conditions and provide a basis for assessment of entomophage quality. Adult weights were consistently lower in artificial diet (AD)-fed specimens than they were in either field-collected or insect-fed predators. This factor neither improved nor degenerated after long-term culturing on AD. After comparing several parameters for quality assessment, it has become evident that judgments about the quality of AD-produced predators are highly variable and dependent upon which parameters are chosen to represent quality. Behavior tests were conducted to compare the laboratory-reared (LR) feeding responses and killing ability of Geocoris punctipes with the same behavior parameters in wild counterparts. Biological studies of the LR predators compared to wild counterparts are important in the assessment of the potential to use in vitro-produced entomophages. These factors include developmental rates, adult weights, and fecundity.
