The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, is a major pest of tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, in Yunnan province, China, where its control still depends on the use of insecticides. In recent years, the local government and farmers have sought to improve the biological control of this tobacco pest. In this paper, we present methods for mass rearing Aphidius gifuensis, a dominant endoparasitoid of M. persicae on tobacco plants in this region. The tobacco cultivar K326 (N. tabacum) was used as the host plant and M. persicae as the host insect. In the greenhouse, we collected tobacco seedlings for about 35 days (i.e., until the six-true-leaf stage), transferred them to 7.5-cm diameter pots, and kept these plants in the greenhouse for another 18 days. These pots were then transferred to an insectary-greenhouse, where the tobacco seedlings were inoculated with five to seven wingless adult M. persicae per pot. After 3 days, the infested seedlings were moved to a second greenhouse to allow the aphid population to increase, and after an additional 49/1 days when 1829/4.25 aphid adults and nymphs were produced per pot, they were inoculated with A. gifuensis. With this rearing system, we were able to produce 2569/ 8.8 aphid mummies per pot, with an emergence rate of 95.69/2.45%; 69% were females. The during a 2-month period each year. This production method is discussed with respect to countrywide usage in biological control and integrated control of M. persicae.

As one of the world's largest producers and consumers of pesticides, China faces a range of environmental and public health threats through long-term overuse of these chemicals. This study suggests a number of key factors contributing to pesticide overuse in rural China, which are examined by means of a literature review and a field survey among farming households, local officials and consumers in western China's Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. The authors conclude that, in addition to the traditionally targeted gaps in technical knowledge, there are a number of sociological and political factors contributing to pesticide overuse, which require closer attention. A number of potential solutions are proposed as a reference point for policy-makers and researchers in this field.

Human beings' uncontrolled exploitation leads to the rapid consumption and depletion of many natural resources. Mankind is facing an unprecedented dilemma in survival and development. Searching, development and utilization of new natural resources will be an important way to solve the current problems. Insects, as an important natural resource needing to be further exploited, have aroused wide concerns and may play an important role in tackling food crisis and natural resources depletion. In China, insects have been being utilized for a long time as an important natural resource and there were lots of practices and experiences in the use of insect, especially in the rural regions. In this paper, we presented the current situation of insect utilization in Chinese rural regions and introduced edible insects being used by ethnic people in Yunnan province of China, the place which is special for its diversity in ethnic culture and folkways. In addition, constraints and prospects in using insect resources were discussed and analyzed as well. It was expected that the experiences in using insect resources in China could be helpful for other countries to promote the utilization of insect resources in near future.