Studies on feeding of wool-synthetic blend fabrics by larvae of insect pests

Abstract

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">Seven wool-synthetic blend fabrics containing polyester, viscose rayon, silk or terene were assessed for their resistance to larvae of woollen fabric insect pests, <i>Attagenus cyphonoides</i>Reitter(the black carpet beetie), <i>Anthrenus flavipes</i> LeConte (the furniture carpet beetle) and <i>Tinea translucens</i> Meyrick (the case bearing clothes-moth). All the wool blend fabrics, except the fabric containing 70% polywool (70% polyester and 30% wool) and 30% silk, were fed heavily by the larvae of <i>A. flavipes </i>and<i> T. translucens</i>. However, all kinds of wool-synthetic blend fabrics were found resistant to the larval attack of <i>At. cyphonoides</i>. Synthetic fibre pieces were not digested by the insect larvae and passed out unchanged from their digestive tract in excreta.</span>