Juvenilizing effect of cooling on Galleria mellonella

Cooling of larvae of G. mellonella in the final instar results in a serious disturbance in their later development. Such disturbance concerns the transition to additional larval stages, loss of the ability to spin cocoons, and the formation of individuals incapable of continuing normal development.The kind of disturbances and their degree depends on the age of cooled larvae and the cooling time applied. Cooling of 1- and 2-day-old larvae results in their transition to additional larval stages, while cooling larvae aged from 3 to 7 days of the duration of instar VII causes the formation of a large number of individuals incapable of further development. The loss of the capacity to spin cocoons depends solely on the cooling time applied.