BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF COCCINELLIDS AS A CRITERION OF QUALITY IN BREEDING OF COCCINELLA SEPTEMPUNCTATA L. (COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE)

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Biological indicators of coccinellids can serve as reliable criteria for quality control of biological material in the industrial production of biological plant protection agents. These indicators are the migratory activity of larvae; their linear sizes; a feeding intensity; average viability; average adult weight; average fertility; the ratio of females; duration of the development from egg to adult. The values of all these indicators for Coccinella septempunctata were determined. The migration activity was determined by means of our own method. To measure this feature, a sheet of white paper with four sectors and seven circles drawn on it was used. This method allows to define the direction and speed of movement for insects depending on the availability of food, location, and light source. The south-north direction does not significantly affect the larvae’s movement. The presence of the victim also does not affect the direction of the larvae’s movement. C. septempunctata larvae showed positive phototaxis. The activity of the larvae that were left without food for a long time was much higher than of the fed ones. The larval viability was studied and measured in the conditions of group maintenance and excess food. The studies were performed for 6 consecutive generations, in which the biological parameters did not differ significantly. When the coccinellids are bred in artificial conditions, the change in the parameters of the vital systems causes physiological and ethological stress in the insects. To obtain high-quality entomologic cultures of lady beetles, it is necessary (in the process of breeding) to control the migratory activity and feeding intensity of larvae. Controlling biological indicators of Coccinellidae in the process of cultivation will allow to obtain high-quality marketable products.