Effect of different natural and factitious diets on development and life history parameters of Chilocorus bipustulatus

The effects of five diets consisting of two natural prey (Acanthococcus abaii Danzig and Aganoscena pistaciae Burckhardt et Lauterer) and three factitious foods (frozen eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, a mixture of frozen corn pollen with eggs of E. kuehniella and a diet consisting of eggs of Sitotroga cerealella Olivier) on the development, survival and reproduction of Chilocorus bipustulatus L. were investigated. The results revealed that this predator successfully completed immature developmental procedures on the offered foods, but developmental duration was affected. Total larval survival of C. bipustulatus was higher on natural diets than factitious diets. Fresh weights of the newly emerged female and male coccinellids were also affected by the diet offered to this predator during their larval stage. The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r), the net reproductive rate (R (0)) and the finite rate of increase (lambda) were obtained on A. pistaciae, and these values were significantly different from A. abaii.