[Objectives]  To develop a diet that can mark Chilo suppressalis without significant adverse effects. The ability to mark individual insects would be useful for studying behaviors such as adult dispersal, mate choice and food preferences. [Methods]  500 mg·kg^-1 Sudan Red 7B was incorporated into an artificial diet fed to C. suppressalis larvae and biological parameters of marked individuals were recorded and compared to those of a control group fed the same artificial diet without Sudan Red 7B. [Results]  The diet containing Sudan Red 7B effectively marked eggs, larvae, and adults, and the pupation rate, emergence rate, fecundity, egg hatching rate and adult longevity of the Sudan Red (SR) treatment group were similar to those of the control. Interestingly, the pupal weights of SR females and males were respectively 5.3 mg and 4.2 mg higher than those of their control group counterparts. In addition, the combined larval and pupal periods of SR females and males exceeded those of the controls by 2.8 d and 2.3 d, respectively. [Conclusion]  Our results indicate that incorporating 500 mg·kg^-1 Sudan Red 7B into an artificial diet can effectively mark C. suppressalis eggs, larvae, and adults without significant adverse effects. In addition, this method requires relatively less time and labor than other methods.