Biotechnology-driven artificial diets for mass-rearing arthropod natural enemies

Arthropod natural enemies are central to biological control programs, where they regulate pest populations while contributing to ecological stability and biodiversity conservation. Nonetheless, for many species, large-scale rearing of these arthropods is constrained by expensive, labor-intensive methods that still rely heavily on living hosts. Emerging biotechnological tools promise to transform rearing practices by supporting the design of accurate, affordable, and host-independent artificial diets for arthropod natural enemies. This review explores biotechnology-driven advances in nutrient profiling, low-cost production, and functional packaging and integrates them into a unified framework. Moreover, this review highlights how the integration of multidisciplinary approaches and biotechnological innovations can address critical challenges in artificial diet development to enable sustainable biocontrol pest management at practical scales.