Efficiency of the fungal filtrate Beauveria bassiana and the alcoholic extract of Artemisia herba-alba against the greater wax worm Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Babylon Province

Abstract

A laboratory study was conducted to determine the effect of the filtrate of the fungus Beauveria bassiana and the alcoholic extract of the wormwood plant Artemisia herba-alba on the destruction of the larval stages of the waxworm major; the results of the study showed that the filter of the fungus B. bassiana affected the destruction of the larval stages of the waxworm. The highest mortality rate was 76.7% for the second larval stage after 24 hours of treatment with a 30% concentration, while it reached 86.7% after 168 hours of treatment with the same concentration. The lowest mortality rate was 13.3% for the last larval stage after 24 hours of treatment, with a concentration of 10%. In comparison, the death rate was 30.0% after 168 hours of treatment, with a concentration of 10%. The results also showed that the alcoholic extract of the wormwood plant affected the destruction of the larval stages of the insect. Keywords: Fungal; Alcoholic Extract; Wormwood.