Establishing an in-house waxworm (Galleria mellonella) culture in an Indian zoological facility: Practical husbandry, nutritional role, and wider applications

Abstract

Waxworms, the larval stage of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella, are widely used as feeder insects and are increasingly incorporated into zoological nutrition programmes. They are highly palatable, energy-dense and easy to handle, making them useful for stimulating appetite, promoting weight gain in underconditioned animals and providing high-value rewards in training. This paper describes the design, refinement and routine management of an in-house waxworm culture established in an Indian zoological facility, using glass jars, a wheat-bran-honey substrate and ambient warm conditions. Practical details are presented for container design, substrate preparation, temperature and light management, colony hygiene and harvesting. Particular emphasis is placed on the comparison between an oat-honey substrate, which proved prone to fungal growth, and a heat-treated wheat-bran-honey substrate, which was more stable and easier to manage. The protocol is intended to be realistic, reproducible and adaptable for other zoological collections.