To screen stimulators from Chinese medicinal insects for mycelial growth and polysaccharides production of Ganoderma lucidum, G. lucidum was inoculated into the media with and without supplementation of medicinal insect extracts. The ethyl acetate extract of Eupolyphaga sinensis at 55 mg l(-1) lead to significant increase in both biomass and intracellular polysaccharides (IPS) concentration from 8.53 +/-0.41 to 14.16 +/- 0.43 and 1.28 +/- 0.09 to 2.13 +/- 0.11 g l(-1), respectively. In addition, the ethyl acetate extract of Catharsius molossus at 55 mg l(-1) significantly enhanced extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) production; the EPS yield increased from 350.9 +/- 14.1 to 475.1 +/- 15.3 mg l(-1). There were no new components in the two types of polysaccharides obtained by the addition of the insect extracts.