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Insects
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Science of Insect Rearing Dynamics: Discovery-Based Inquiry
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Science of Insect Rearing Dynamics: Discovery-Based Inquiry

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Physiology, Reproduction and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1668

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Allen Cohen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Interests: insect rearing system dynamics; insect diets; insect nutritional biochemistry and physiology; insect rearing education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insect rearing is inherently a cross-disciplinary, interaction-driven process. Reared insects are expected to thrive in the context of a controlled artificial system designed to produce high-quality, high-fitness organisms. Insects involved in the rearing process are exposed to and respond to biological activities that are often unlike those impacting native populations, placing them at a crossroads of adaptation.

Many holometabolous insects, for example, exhibit wandering behavior towards the end of their final larval stage. Inherent in the wandering individual are important changes in physiology such as production of different nitrogenous waste products. These insects also undergo shifts in gas exchange proportions altering respiratory quotients. The inquiry and discovery resulting from experiments with factors such as gas exchange, diet profiles (ratios of carbohydrates to lipids to proteins) or environmental factors like temperature all interplay in insect rearing systems. Well-designed studies of these types of complex interactions can lead to a greatly enhanced understanding of the insects and, in turn, a greatly improved rearing/production capability.

Prof. Dr. Allen Cohen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • rearing component interactions
  • interplay of environmental factors
  • rearing genetics and epigenetics
  • design of rearing experiments
  • stress factors in rearing systems

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 583 KB  
Article
Development of the Citrus Longhorned Beetle Anoplophora chinensis (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera) on Artificial Diet and Chilling Effect on Their Life Cycle Completion
by Hai Nam Nguyen and Ki-Jeong Hong
Insects 2026, 17(3), 285; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030285 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 574
Abstract
Anoplophora chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an invasive, economically important, quarantined wood-boring pest whose long-life cycle complicates laboratory rearing and management. This study investigated the combined effects of artificial diet, chilling duration, and temperature on pupation cues. Adults collected from the wild were allowed [...] Read more.
Anoplophora chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an invasive, economically important, quarantined wood-boring pest whose long-life cycle complicates laboratory rearing and management. This study investigated the combined effects of artificial diet, chilling duration, and temperature on pupation cues. Adults collected from the wild were allowed to oviposit, and newly hatched larvae were reared on a prepared artificial diet. Larval weight was recorded biweekly to assess growth and mortality. At 12 weeks of age, larvae were subjected to cold treatments at 5 °C or 10 °C for 9, 12, 14, 16, or 19 weeks, then returned to warm rearing conditions to monitor pupation. Additional chilling cycles were applied when necessary. Pupation percents increased with chilling duration, reaching 55% after 16 weeks at 10 °C compared with 16.7% after 12 weeks and none after 9 weeks. Developmental durations were 34.43, 55.93, and 88.65 weeks for larvae experiencing one, two, and three chilling cycles, respectively. Adults body weight was consistently lower than that of field-collected individuals for both males and females. These findings confirm that chilling is essential for pupation cues and demonstrate that both duration and temperature strongly influence pupation success. Importantly, the combination of artificial diet with optimized chilling regimes enhances pupation rates, providing a practical foundation for mass-rearing protocols of A. chinensis to support future research and management programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Science of Insect Rearing Dynamics: Discovery-Based Inquiry)
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20 pages, 1342 KB  
Article
Optimizing Vibratory Sorting Machine of Crickets: Effects of Surface Friction, Oscillation Dynamics, and Energy Consumption
by Arthit Duangchanchote, Sarawut Saenkham, Siripuk Suraporn, Ahmad Zainuddin and Sopa Cansee
Insects 2026, 17(3), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030252 - 27 Feb 2026
Viewed by 473
Abstract
This study presents a two-stage, mechanics-based method for optimizing vibratory sorting machine of adult crickets for post-harvest size grading. In the first stage, the static coefficient of friction (COF) was measured for three cricket size classes across seven tray surface conditions [...] Read more.
This study presents a two-stage, mechanics-based method for optimizing vibratory sorting machine of adult crickets for post-harvest size grading. In the first stage, the static coefficient of friction (COF) was measured for three cricket size classes across seven tray surface conditions to quantify cricket–substrate interactions relevant to vibratory transport. COF varied significantly with both morphology and surface microtexture (p < 0.0001), with intermediate roughness levels generating higher friction than smooth or highly rough surfaces. In the second stage, a factorial experiment evaluated the effects of oscillating speed (300–350 rpm), tray inclination (2°–3°), and surface roughness (G0–G5) on sorting efficiency, throughput, batch sorting time, and specific energy consumption (SEC). All main factors and most interactions significantly influenced sorting performance (p < 0.0001). The optimal operating condition—350 rpm, 2° inclination, and G2 roughness—achieved 95% sorting accuracy, 39 crickets·min−1 throughput, and the lowest SEC (0.37 Wh·cricket−1). The results demonstrate that friction–vibration coupling governs cricket transport on vibrating surfaces and provide an engineering framework for designing scalable, energy-efficient sorting systems for insect rearing and processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Science of Insect Rearing Dynamics: Discovery-Based Inquiry)
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Review

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35 pages, 1368 KB  
Review
A Review of Artificial Diets for Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae)
by Rongrong Gao, Qingqiu Zeng, Ming Zhu, Zhentao Ren and Kun Xue
Insects 2026, 17(3), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects17030326 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 306
Abstract
Aphids are among the most significant agricultural pests worldwide. Artificial diets are a critical foundation for aphid physiological and biochemical research and the development of pest control technology. However, their phloem sap-feeding habits, extraoral digestion characteristics, and host specificities pose numerous challenges to [...] Read more.
Aphids are among the most significant agricultural pests worldwide. Artificial diets are a critical foundation for aphid physiological and biochemical research and the development of pest control technology. However, their phloem sap-feeding habits, extraoral digestion characteristics, and host specificities pose numerous challenges to the development of artificial diets for aphids, including population degradation, reduced fecundity during long-term rearing, and a lack of methodological diversity in dietary formulation research. In this review, we summarize the research on artificial diets for aphids, encompassing the history of artificial rearing, rearing methods, and nutritional composition analysis of these diets. Furthermore, we discuss the optimization of diet formulations based on aphid digestive enzymes and symbiotic bacteria. We aim to synthesize successful developments of artificial diets for aphids and extend their application to diverse aphid species. Future development of artificial aphid diets should focus on matching the types and contents of nutritional elements with the digestive enzymes and gut microbes of aphids. It is necessary to develop specific artificial diets for targeted aphid populations rather than merely adopting successful formulations and experience with Myzus persicae or Acyrthosiphon pisum. In addition, automated and large-scale aphid rearing devices should be developed, and further research on population degradation during long-term aphid rearing is required to explore multifaceted solutions involving nutritional and environmental aspects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Science of Insect Rearing Dynamics: Discovery-Based Inquiry)
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