Improved artificial diets or growth media are described which are suitable
for rearing large numbers of viable and biologically fit arthropods,
including zoophagous arthropods and phytophagous arthropods, including
facultatively zoophagous arthropods. In a first embodiment, the growth
medium is composed of a mixture of cooked egg, liquid, and carbohydrate
source. In a second embodiment, the growth medium is composed of a
plant-based phytophage diet which includes cooked egg yolk or cooked whole
egg. In a third embodiment, the growth medium is composed of a mixture of
cooked egg, liquid, and carbohydrate source in admixture with a
plant-based phytophage diet which includes cooked egg yolk or cooked whole
egg. The growth media are devoid of meat products or insect components and
are suitable for mass production of arthropods at a reasonable cost for
use in biological control programs or other biologically based
technologies.