Experimentation of Essential Oils and Entomopathogenic Fungi Against Wax Moth Larvae in Laboratory Conditions

Objective: Larvae of wax moths cause great harm to honeybee hives and especially stored honeycombs. In the battle for wax moth in storage rooms; biological methods of struggle that does not harm the bee, product and the environment have become important. This study was conducted to determine the effect of essential oils of cloves, thyme and bay plants at 5% and commercial preparation derived from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae under laboratory conditions against wax moth larvae.

Methods: Content analyses of essential oils have determined components by doing them with the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry device. Previously collected and cultured lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) larvae are divided into three groups, small/medium/large, based on their period. For each group of fifteen larvae, three volatile oils, one fungal experiment were performed, and two control groups were formed. The trials were conducted in glass jars and the larvae were retained in an incubator with a temperature of 25 °C/75% relative humidity conditions. Each jar was checked daily for nine weeks with dead/live larvae recorded and dead ones taken from the jar.

Results: At the end of the study, moth emerging rates were determined for each group of dead larvae and remainders. Based on their percentage average; while no difference was seen between the essential oil groups and the control group, the fungal groups were observed to be effective relative to the control groups.

Conclusion: According to the data, it was determined that M. anisopliae fungus preparation could be used as an alternative control methods against wax moth larvae in storage conditions.