Effects of Yeast on the Growth and Development of and (Araneae: Lycsidae) Through the Food Chain.

plays an important role in the biological control of insect pests. The inclusion of yeast in the culture medium is very important for the growth, development, and reproduction of , but there have been few studies on the influence of nutrients in the culture medium on spider development. In order to explore the effects of different yeast treatments on the growth and development of and as a predator, , three treatments (no yeast, active yeast added, and inactivated yeast added) were adopted to modify the conventional culture medium. The addition of yeast to the medium shortened the development time from larva to pupation in . The emergence and larval developmental times of reared with activated yeast were shorter than those of the group without yeast addition, which promoted emergence and increased body weight. The addition of yeast to the medium increased the fat, protein, and glucose content in . The addition of activated yeast shortened the developmental time of at the second instar stage but had no effect on other instars. Different yeast treat-ments in the medium had no effect on the body length or body weight of . Adding yeast to culture medium can increase the total fat content in , but it has no effect on glucose and total protein in . Our study shows the importance of yeast to the growth and development of fruit flies.