Behaviours exhibited by female wax moth (Galleria mellonella L.) exposed to pheromone blend of 3:7 of undecanal and nonanal

The study was conducted in the laboratory, Department of apiculture, UAS, GKVK, Bangalore. In the present study effect of different hours of scotophase in attraction of female greater wax moth at different days after emergence was counted. The duration occupied (in sec out of 300 sec) female greater wax moth eliciting different behavioural patterns viz., stationary fanning, ambulation, ambulatory fanning, hovering, searching and circling. The maximum response elicited in case of ambulatory fanning behaviour followed by other behaviours, respectively. The behavioural bioassay revealed that the moths of 3 to 5 days old showed maximum responses to the best binary blend of nonanal and undecanal (3:7) during initiation or first quarters of the scotophase. Highest behavioural responses to the best pheromone blend of nonanal and undecanal (3:7) was at 7 pm to 9 pm with more than 60 per cent moths exhibiting pheromone specific behavioural patterns.