Effect of treating the larval stage of the large waxworm Galleria mellonella with different concentrations of zinc oxide nanomaterials ZnO, titanium dioxide TiO2 and Bacillus thuringiensis spores on some aspects of the insect's life.

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the impact of nanoparticles (Ti O 2 and ZnO) at concentrations (100,500,1000,5000) ppm and Bacillus thuringiensis spores at concentration ( 10 6 , 10 7 ,10 8 and 10 9 cells/ml of Distilled water on some biological aspects of greater wax moth( Galleria mellonella) . The results showed that these materials have a significant effect on the development stages, larva and pupa of Galleria mellonella .The nanoparticles had a clear effect on the mortality of the insect at high concentrations, 5000ppm of ZnO increased the killing rate in the larvae and pupae to 80.10% and 34.64 respectively. Treatment with these materials also had a significant effect in some biological aspects of the first generation adults. The average number of eggs was 22.667 and 10.007 in the treatment with concentration 5000ppm of both Ti O 2 and ZnO respectively, while the average number of eggs was 9.667 in the treatment with 10 6 of Bacillus thuringiensis spores . Treatment with concentration 5000ppm also caused a reduction in the eggs laying of the greater wax moth to reach 87.720 and 95.163% of both, Ti O 2 and ZnO respectively, compared with Bacillus thuringiensis spores with showed 94.233% at 10 6 concentration.