This document provides information on the mass rearing of Chrysoperla carnea, an important natural enemy of aphids and other soft-bodied insects. It discusses the morphology and biology of C. carnea, including its egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. It also outlines the production procedure for mass rearing C. carnea, including rearing the adults, collecting and storing eggs, group rearing of larvae, and maintaining stocks of the predator. Feeding rates on different prey are also presented.

1. UNIVERSITY OF HORTICULTURAL
SCIENCES BAGALKOT
COLLEGE OF HORTICULTURE, BANGALORE
Course Tittle: Biological Management of Pest and Weeds
Presentation Topic: Mass rearing of Crysoperla carnea
Presented To:
Dr.Gangadhar Narabenchi
Asst professor
Dept of Entamology
COH,Bengaluru
Presented By:
Sanmathi Naik A T S ,UHS18PGM1142
Sharath Kumar , UHS18PGM1143
Supriya Mandal , UHS18PGM1144
Varsha V , UHS18PGM1145
Jr.M.Sc(Hort) Vegetable Science
COH,Bengaluru

2. In India, 65 species of chrysopids belonging to 21
genera have been recorded from various crop
ecosystems.
 Some species are distributed widely and are
important natural enemies for aphids and other soft
bodied insects.
 Amongst them,Chrysoperla carnea is the most
common. It has been used in cotton ecosystem for
protection from aphids and other soft bodied insects.
 C. carnea is now used extensively all over the
country.
Introduction

3. Morphology and Biology
 The eggs are stalked and green in colour.
 The length of the egg in various species ranges between 0.7 to 2.3 mm and that of
the stalk between 2 to 26 mm.
 The eggs are laid singly or in clusters.
 Eggs turn pale whitish and then black before hatching.
 Egg period lasts 3-4 days.
 The larva is white in colour on hatching.
 The larva has 3 instars which are completed in 8-10 days.
 The larva spins a cocoon from which the adult emerges in 5-7 days.
 Adults on emergence mate repeatedly. Generally, pre-oviposition period lasts for
3-7 days.
 Adult females start laying eggs from 5th day onwards and peak egg-laying period
is between 9-23 days after emergence.
 The male longevity is 30-35 days and female can even live up to 60
days. Fecundity is 600-800 eggs/female.
 The sex ratio Male: Female is 1: 0.85.
 The adult males and females live 41 and 53 days, respectively.

4. Production procedure
•
In mass production, the adults are fed on various types of diets. The
larvae are either reared in plastic tubes or empty injection vials or in
groups in large containers or in individual cells. The adults are collected
daily and transferred to pneumatic glass troughs or G.I. round troughs (30
cm x 12 cm). Before allowing the adults, the rearing troughs are wrapped
inside with brown sheet which act as egg receiving card. About 250 adults
(60% females) are allowed into each trough and covered with white nylon
or georgette cloth secured by rubber band. On the cloth outside three
bits of foam sponge (2 sq.in) dripped in water is kept. Besides an artificial
protein rich diet is provided in semisolid paste form in three spots on the
cloth outside. This diet consists of one part of yeast, fructose, honey,
Proteinex R and water in the ratio 1:1:1:1. The adults lay eggs on the
brown sheet. The adults are collected daily and allowed into fresh rearing
troughs with fresh food. From the old troughs, the brown paper sheets
along with Chrysopaeggs are removed.

5. Storage and destalking of eggs
• The brown paper sheet kept inside the
adult rearing troughs contain large number of
eggs each laid on a stalk or pedicel. As such the
sheets are stored at 10oC in B.O.D. incubator or
refrigerator for about 21 days. When the eggs
are required for culturing or for field release the
egg sheets are kept at room temperature for a
day and the eggs during this period turn brown
and hatch on 3 days later. The first larvae are
either taken for culture or for recycling or for field
release.

6. Group rearing of grubs
• It is done in GI round basins (28 cm dia) @ 250
larvae/basin, covered with khada cloth. The eggs
of Corcyracephalonica is given as feeding material for
the larvae in the laboratory. For rearing
500 Chrysopa larvae the total quantity ofCorcyraeggs
required is 22 cc @ 5 cc/feeding for five feedings in
alternate days. The Chrysopa larvae pupate into round
white coloured silken cocoons in 10 days. The cocoons
are collected with fine brush and transferred into 1 lit
plastic containers with wire mesh window for
emergence of adults. From the cocoons, pale green
coloured adults with transparent lace like wings
emerge in 9-10 days.

7. • In the first step of larval rearing, 120 three day old chrysopid eggs are mixed
with 0.75 ml of Corcyra eggs (the embryo of Corcyra eggs are inactivated by
keeping them at 2 feet distance from 15 watt ultraviolet tube light for 45 minutes)
in a plastic container (27x18x6 cms). On hatching, the larvae start feeding. On 3rd
day the larvae are transferred to 2.5 cm cubical cells of plastic louvers @ one per
cell. Each louver can hold 192 larvae. Corcyraeggs are provided in all the cells of
each louver by sprinkling through the modified salt shaker. Feeding is provided in
two doses. First feeding of 1.5 mlCorcyraeggs for 100 larvae and second feeding of
2 ml for 100 larvae with a gap of 3-4 days is done. Total quantity ofCorcyra eggs
required for rearing 100 chrysopid larvae is 4.25 ml. The louvers are secured on
one side by orgami or brown paper sheet and after transfer of larvae covered with
acrylic sheet and clamped. Orgami or brown paper is used for facilitating pupation
and clear visibility of eggs. The louvers are stacked in racks. One 2m x 1m x 45
cms angle iron rack can hold 100 louvers containing 19,200 larvae.
Cocoons are collected after 24 hours of formation (when they get hardened) by
removing orgami or paper from one side. The cocoons are placed in adult
oviposition cages for emergence (Adults are sometimes allowed to emerge in
louvers and released on glass window panes from where they are collected using
suction pumps).

8. Reviews on Mass production of
Crysoparlea carnea
• Tulisalo and Korpela (1973)
• reported the mass rearing of green lacewing
on M. persicae cultured on
• Capsicum. Larvae of C. carnea were reared in
groups of 20-50. Each female laid
• on an average 700 eggs. 80-83 per cent of
eggs hatched, developed from egg to
• adult lived for 40-50 days. Females formed
51.7- 71.4 per cent of the population.

9. Feeding potential
• Rate of prey consumption was highest on
Anagastra kuehniella (Zeller) eggs (553.5±8.8
eggs/ larvae).
• intermediate on Spodoptera littorialis
Boisduval eggs (536.2± 12.5 eggs/larvae) .
• lowest on Aphis labumi nymphs (372.9±5.4
nymps/larva.

10. Maintanance
•Adults were transferred to jars (21 cm high, 18 cm dia.) and fed with 50 per cent honey
solution and castor pollen. The jar was then covered with black markin cloth.
•Females laid stalked eggs on black markin cloth, which was changed daily and kept for
hatching.
Of stock
•When larvae started moving, they were transferred to small vials individually and
provided with C. cephalonica eggs, regularly for feeding
•After pupation vials were left undisturbed till adult emergence
culture
•The adults transferred to jars containing adult food supplements
•The culture was maintained at 27±2°C and 60±10% RH.
Mass culturing of the predator,
Crysoperla camea

11. Effect of continuous rearing
• Any deterioration among C. cornea colonies
can be known by:
comparing the developmental time, prey
consumption, weight of pupae,fecundity and
mortality of different stages.
• According to Jones et 01. (1978) insects
intended for mass culture need not and
should not be held in mass culture for more
than 5 generations.