Quality assessment and control of artificially reared insects has been traditionally linked to how well the insects perform in their “intended role” or their “fitness for use”. This paper suggests that quality should be defined more in terms of success in survival and colonizing ability. It is argued that the rearing facility should be regarded as an “ecological habitat”. Differences between wild and artificially reared insect populations are therefore due to the different effects and demands placed on the insects by the two habitats. Assessment of quality and its subsequent control should be based on biological parameters that are constant in the two habitats like the larval critical weight (Lcw).
