The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, is an important pest of beekeeping industry. The effects of
five natural diet materials on the developmental biology and mortality of all life stages of the greater wax moth were
investigated in a laboratory trial. Effect of all five natural diets on the developmental biology and mortality varied
significantly. New wax comb (NW) was found to be the poorest larval diet inducing prolonged immature stage duration,
shortening adult moth longevity, decreasing egg productivity, retarding oviposition, prolonging the entire life-cycle
duration and causing significantly higher overall life stage mortality. In contrast, feeding larvae on diets of old wax
comb (OW), old wax comb containing 10% w/w added pollen (OWP), new wax comb containing 10% w/w added
pollen (NWP), and bee-collected pollen (BP), positively affected the development and vitality of all life stages. The
significance of these results with respect to the control measures are proposed and discussed.