The Effects of Dietary Beeswax and Wax Components on the Larvae of the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella (L.)1

Larvae of Galleria mellonella were fed diets containing a variety of long-chain materials, including beeswax, fatty acids, alcohols, and paraffins. Beeswax and some fatty acids enhanced normal growth; alcohols had a relative growth-suppressing action. The responses were affected by the humidity of the rearing chambers. The fatty acids of the insects were only slightly influenced by the diets.