<p>Phlebotomine sand flies are responsible for the transmission of several infectious diseases including leishmaniasis. The field based studies on sand fly fauna in Sri Lanka has increased the knowledge on sand flies in the last few years. However, certain aspects such as vector parasite interactions, vectorial capacity and host preference are limitedly investigated. Laboratory based studies using lab reared populations are vital to unveil such information. Maintenance of optimum rearing conditions is critical in sand fly colonization. In the current study, we sought out strategies to improve the quality of the laboratory colony of <i>Phlebotomus argentipes</i>, main suspected vector for leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. A colony of <i>P. argentipes</i> was established from field collected flies and the productivity of adults was evaluated considering oviposition substrate, carrying capacity in oviposition containers, adult sex ratio in rearing cages and larval diet. The mean values of oviposition rates, hatching rates and emergence rates were compared using Kruskal-Wallis test and subsequent post-hoc analyses. The highest oviposition rate was seen in rough-surfaced plaster of paris and clay mixture. The optimum carrying capacity was 33.33 pairs/litre. The oviposision rate was highest (9.46/female) when the male to female sex ratio was 2:1. The fermented rabbit food and rabbit feces mixture was the suitable diet resulting 92% pupation and 100% adult emergence. The present study illustrates the strategies to enhance the colonization of <i>P. argentipes</i> under artificial rearing facility. However, continuous monitoring and further optimization procedures should be followed to ensure the self-sustainability of the rearing colony.</p>