Effect of different diets with oil additives on life table parameters of the flour moth Anagasta kuhniella (Zeller)

In this study, the effects of four diets including standard food (68% wheat flour, 29% wheat bran and 3% yeast) and standard diets with oil additives including 10% palm oil, glycerin oil and pumice oil was studied on biological properties of Mediterranean flour moth. The study was carried out in a rearing chamber set at 25 ± 1 °C, relative humidity of 65 ± 5% and complete darkness. The fecundity rate was recorded (264.31 egg 250.54 egg and 335.03 egg in the diet containing pumice oil, glycerin oil and palm oil respectively that was significantly lower than standard diet (393.2 egg). There were significant differences in intrinsic rate of population increase (r) among diets, diets containing pumice oil (0.092 day-1), palm oil (0.101 day-1), glycerin (0.099 day-1) and standard food (0.109 day-1). Net reproduction rate (R0) in standard food (174.75 offspring /individual) was not significantly different from palm diet (127.31 offspring /individual), but significantly higher than pumice diet (76.65 offspring /individual) and glycerin diet (102.27 offspring /individual). Insect’s longevity in standard diet (52.86 day) was not significantly different from glycerin added diet (54.08 day) and palm (49.17 day) but the remaining diet had a meaningful difference. Therefore, diets containing palm, glycerin and pumice oil did not have much more efficiency than standard food for use in artificial diet based rearing this insect.