The Wax Moth: A Problem or a Solution?
BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS
A present book “The Wax Moth: A Problem or a Solution?” is a reference book it would be helpful for students doing graduation, post-graduation, doctorate, bee-keepers and academicians.
Wax moth is nocturnal holometabolous insect with major developmental stages including eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. Specific insect possesses variable larval instars which can be from 5-9 depending upon environmental cues. Larval forms are voracious feeder which destroy bee combs while feeding on bee wax, pollen, honey and exuviate of honey bees.
Wax moth is considered as major pest of honey bees which invade weaker colonies and force honey bee colony to abandon the hive. It is considered as major challenge of apiculture because of limited controls. Generally, apiarists use various synthetic chemicals to regulate specific pests, eventually which resulted in contamination of synthetic residues, in apicultural products and reduce market value of products.
One fascinating feature of wax moth larvae is their capability to degrade plastic which make this pest as useful organism. As accumulation of plastic pollution resulted in degradation of environmental qualities which challenge terrestrial, aquatic and other habitats, thereby wax moth can provide solution of this problem by facilitating biodegradation of plastic with help of gut micro-organism or without gut micro-organisms. Considering specific characteristics, title of present book is “Wax Moth a Problem or Solution ?’ as it is considered as major challenge for bee keeping but concomitantly it can play important role in reducing plastic pollution.
About the author:
Dr. Lovleen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor, in the Department of Zoology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, India. She has completed her MS, Ph.D. in Cytogenetics, from Department of Zoology, Panjab University Chandigarh. She has worked on evaluation of pesticide genotoxicity using insect genome, specifically on different mosquito species and Drosophila melanogaster.
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