Abstract
The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella is responsible for serious economic losses to bee keepers in developing countries. Larvae feed on the wax comb in weak colonies or during the storage of wax combs in winter. The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of the Cytokinin plant growth regulator, Benzyladenine (6-BA), on the most important parameters of adult performance and reproductive potential of G. mellonella. The 3rd instar larvae were force-fed on an artificial diet supplemented with six concentrations, viz., 100, 10.0, 1.0, 0.1, 0.01 & 0.001ppm of 6-BA. No adult moths could metamorphose at the higher three concentrations because of larval and pupal deaths. The most important results could be summarized as follows. The adult emergence was blocked by 6-BA, in a dose-dependent course. Also, the tested compound displayed strong adulticidal activity, since adult mortality increased in a dose-dependent course. The total adult longevity of moths was significantly prolonged.All longevity compartments were remarkably prolonged. On the other hand, 6-BA failed to affect adult morphogenesis. The oviposition efficiency was deleteriously prohibited. Also, 6-BA exhibited a tremendous inhibitory effect on the female fecundity and reducing effect onfertility. The embryonic development in eggs laid by treated adult females was severely retarded, since the incubation period of these eggs was remarkably prolonged.
Highlights
The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is widely distributed throughout the world
Effect of 6-Benzyladenineon the Adult Performance of G. mellonella: After force-feeding of the 3rd instar larvae of G. mellonella on diet mixed with six concentrations of 6-Benzyladenine (6-BA) (100, 10.0, 1.0, 0.1, 0.01 & 0.001ppm), no adults could metamorphose at the higher three concentrations
The present result was in agreement with many reported results of blocked adult emergence after larval treatment of various insects with some plant growth regulators (PGRs), such as the melon fruit fly Bactrocera cucurbitae after feeding of larvae on artificial diets containing different concentrations of gibberellic acid (GA3)(Kaur and Rup, 1999) or Coumarin (Cn), kinetin, GA3 and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (Kaur and Rup, 2003); the tobacco cutworm Spodoptera litura by rearing the newly hatched larvae on artificial diets fortified with miraculan (Singh and Bhattacharya, 2001; Bhatnagar et al, 2012) or GA3 (Shiwani and Karnatak, 2012) and the mustard aphid Lipaphis erysimi after treatment of nymphs with GA3, Daminozide(AlarB9), indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or Chlorogenic acid (Rup et al, 2002)
Summary
The greater wax moth Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is widely distributed throughout the world. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) is widely distributed throughout the world It has been recorded in more than 77 countries (Kwadha et al, 2017; Roh et al, 2020). It is the major destructive pest for the apiculture industry because its larvae feed on the honeycomb, honey and wax found in bee hives, especially in weak colonies or during the storage of wax combs in winter (Büyükgüzel and Kalender, 2009), in addition to their tunneling habit through the combs (Chandel et al, 2003). Different physical and chemical methods have been used to control G. mellonella (Büyükgüzel, 2009). These methods and materials are very expensive and may have toxic effects on the bees. In different parts of the world, the apiculture industry has traditionally relied on synthetic insecticides for controlling carious insect pests
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