EFFECT OF SOME AJUGA IVA LEAF EXTRACTS ON CERTAIN BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE GREATER WAX MOTH (GALLERIA MELLONELLA L.).

This study was conducted to determine the effect of treating the food of third-instar larvae of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) with ethanol and hexane extracts of Ajuga iva leaves at concentrations of 5%, 7.5%, and 10%, and their impact on the biological aspects of the insect. The results showed that the 10% concentration achieved the highest larval mortality rate, with an average of 51.84% for both extracts, while the lowest mortality rate was 19.17% at the 5% concentration, and 3.33% in the control treatment. Additionally, there was a reduction in the percentage of larvae that pupated, with the ethanol extract being more effective in reducing the number of pupae its reached average 61.68% and 82.53% for the ethanol and hexane extracts, respectively, compared to 96.70% in the control treatment. The highest rate of pupal deformities was observed when treated with the 10% ethanol extract. It was also noted that the ethanol extract significantly prolonged the larval and pupal stages. The results also indicated that the 10% ethanol extract had the highest impact in reducing the adult longevity, reduced the number of eggs and laid by females reduced the egg hatch rate.