Life cycle of the almond moth, Ephestia cautella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Phycitidae) on seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Laboratory investigations to study the biology of the Almond moth, Ephestia cautella (Walker) on sunflower seeds revealed that the pest failed to feed and develop on the whole seeds. However, on broken seeds, the mean duration of the egg, first, second, third and fourth larval instars and the pupal periods were 4.03 ± 0.69, 3.09 ± 0.81, 3.78 ± 0.78, 8.34 ± 0.98, 10.78 ± 0.73 and 6.97 ± 0.55 days, respectively. The total developmental period from egg to adult ranged from 37 to 42 days. The pre-oviposition, oviposition, post-oviposition periods were 6.17 ± 1.78 hr, 5.19 ± 1.98 days, 2.35 ± 0.53 days, respectively. The adult longevity with and without food was 8.17 ± 1.78 and 5.49 ± 0.99 days, respectively, while the mean fecundity was 74.09 eggs perfemale.