A β-carotene-amended artificial diet increases larval survival and be applicable in mass rearing of Harmonia axyridis

In conclusion, supplementation of β-carotene could increase the efficiency of artificial diet. On M. persicae, H. axyridis developed from AD-D had outstanding performance which was applicable for releasing in biological control. Our results highlight the importance of carotenoids in artificial diet and might provide a new approach for developing artificial diets.