An Artificial Diet for the Laboratory Rearing of Locusts

Abstract

LOCUSTS are being increasingly used for research and teaching purposes, but one of the main difficulties involved in maintaining a culture is the provision of an adequate supply of fresh green grass throughout the year¹. A further disadvantage of this grass diet was revealed by biochemical investigations into the variation with age of the concentration of reducing substances in the hæmolymph of Schistocerca gregaria Forsk., to be reported elsewhere. The above pattern of variation was partially masked by the considerable divergence of many results from the mean values. In view of these divergences, which were thought to be due to differences in the quality of the grass diet, an artificial diet was formulated. The use of this diet, to which very small quantities of fresh green grass were added, considerably reduced these divergencies.