Efficacy of Local Isolate of Beauveria bassiana and Commercial Product of B. Bassiana Mixed with Metarhizium anisopliae on the Greater Wax Moth

The efficiency of local isolate of Beauveria bassiana indigenous in Egypt, was estimated compared with the bio-pesticide (mixture of B. bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae ) on the greater wax moth (GWM), Galleria mellonella L. Five concentrations of B. bassiana (1×107, 2.5×107, 5 ×107, 7.5×107 and 1×108 conidia/ml ) and the biopesticide, (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10g/L) against G. mellonella larvae were evaluated under storage conditions. B. bassiana was reared in two media ( PDA and mummies of GWM larvae). The fungal isolate, Beauveria bassiana at all tested concentrations affect the mortality of G. mellonela larvae, especially at the highest concentration. The obtained data obviously indicated that, fungal isolate (grown on mummies of GWM) exhibited a relatively high effect on G. mellonella larvae in comparison with that reared on PDA media. However, after 21 days of treatment B. bassiana reared on GWM larvae caused, 46.33± 17.9, 63.33±11.6, 70± 00, 70± 20 and 86.66± 11.6% mortality, while, B. bassiana grown on PDA caused, 40 ± 12.5, 50± 16.0, 73.33± 24.3, 53.33±24.2 and 80 ±26.3 % mortality of the treated larvae at the concentrations of 1×107, 2.5×107, 5×107, 7.5×107 and 1×108 conidia/ml, respectively .At the highest concentration (10 g/L) of the bio-insecticides the mortality percentages of treated G. mellonela larvae were 40±16.4, 66.66±24.2, 76.66±27.6 and 83.33±27.2%, after 6, 9, 12 and 15 days of treatment , respectively.