Rearing of insects

Definition

The controlled cultivation of insects through complete or partial life cycles under artificial or semi-natural conditions to produce healthy specimens for research, display, biocontrol, or commercial purposes. Rearing encompasses all stages from egg to adult, including provision of suitable food, microclimate regulation, disease prevention, and often selective breeding for desired traits. The practice ranges from small-scale laboratory cultures of Drosophila melanogaster for genetic research to industrial mass-rearing of parasitoid wasps for augmentative biological control.

Etymology

From Middle English 'reren' (to raise) + Latin 'insectum' (cut into, segmented creature)

Example

Rearing of the cecropia moth Hyalophora cecropia requires maintaining larvae on fresh cherry or lilac foliage under high humidity, then providing pupae with a cold stratification period to break diapause before adult emergence.

Synonyms

• insect culture
• insect husbandry
• mass rearing

Related Terms

• laboratory colony
• gnotobiotic culture
• insectary
• Life table
• rearing medium
• Diapause
• F1 generation
• quarantine rearing

Usage Notes

Distinguish from 'collecting' (wild capture) and 'maintenance' (short-term holding). 'Rearing' implies active propagation through reproduction; 'mass rearing' specifically denotes large-scale production for release programs. Quality control in rearing includes monitoring for inbreeding depression, microbial contamination, and adaptation to laboratory conditions that may reduce field fitness.