This is a handbook of artificial diets for rearing insects, mites and spiders. Its origin goes back to my association with Dr H. L. House at the Research Institute of the Canadian Department of Agriculture at Belleville, Ontario. In 1967, Dr House published a bulletin Artificial Diets for Insects: A Compilation of References with Abstracts. We jointly updated this work in 1971 to include papers published from 1967-1970 and to take special note of the use of antimicrobial agents. In 1970 I left Belleville to join the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in New Zealand where I continued to catalogue insect diets, and in 1972 compiled a Bibliography on Artificial Diets for Insects and Mites covering the period of 1900-1970. This was followed in 1974 by another publication entitled Artificial Diets for Insects containing insect diets published during May 1970-December 1972. These publications laid the foundations for the present volume. The aim of this book is to give complete but concise coverage of exi- ing knowledge of insect dietetics. It brings together in one volume the most complete survey of artificial diets for insects, mites and spiders to date. I hope its content will aid all those concerned with insect rearing programmes. I would like to thank the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research for permission to publish this book. I am particularly grateful to Dr J. M. Hoy, Director of the Entomology Division, for his encouragement.
