Yellow nutsedge,Cyperus esculentusL., has been described as one of the world's most noxious weeds Lewis ' Worsham 1970). Keeley et al. (1970) noted that the larvae of a moth,Bactra verutanavar.chryseaHeinrich, which is native in the U.S., damages the shoots of yellow nutsedge during the late summer months. Since this insect shows some promise as a biological control agent, we developed an artificial diet and rearing procedures for establishing and maintaining a large laboratory colony.