Life history and fecundity rate of Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) on different wheat flour varieties

Abstract

The effect of different wheat flour varieties (Bahar, Zarin, Pishgham, Pishtaz, Sardari and Parsi) on the life history and fecundity of the Mediterranean flour moth Ephestia kuehniella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was determined at 28 ± 2 °C, 65 ± 5% RH and a light: dark cycle of 14:10 h. The larval period ranged 38.60–49.60 days on Pishgham and Pishtaz, respectively. The longest development time was on Pishtaz (62.45 days) and the shortest was on Parsi (50.98 days). The highest total fecundity (284.60 eggs) and the lowest (219.93 eggs) was observed on Parsi and Zarin, respectively. Cluster analysis of the biological parameters of E. kuehniella on different wheat flour varieties demonstrated that Pishtaz was the partially resistant to E. kuehniella. Determining the suitable variety among wheat flour varieties would help us in improvement of natural enemy production using this pest as food on susceptible varieties of wheat flour.