Effects of honey bee products on some biological and physiological parameters of mulberry silkworm bombyx mori.

ABSTRACT

The effect of some honey bee products; royal jelly[RJ], pollen[P], propolis[Pr] and honey[H] tested as food additives, on several biological and physiological parameters of the 5[th] larval instar of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori L were studied. The addition of the above mentioned products at different concentrations, either separate or in combination increased weights of mature larvae, pupae, silk gland, fresh cocoons and cocoon shells. Larvae fed on mulberry leaves treated with RJ showed maximum increase in weights followed by pollen and then propolis. The treatments with honey bee the above products were associated with significant increases of the total hacmolymph protein, the CA surface area, the total haemocyte count and the different haemocytes counts