Standardized methods for rearing a moth larva, Manduca sexta, in a laboratory setting.

ABSTRACT: The larval tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, has been used in a laboratory setting for physiological studies and for pathogen virulence studies. This moth offers a much larger size than the commonly used wax moth (Galleria mellonella), and it can thus be used for a greater variety of assays, such as repeated sampling of the same individual, growth measurements, and tissue sampling. Yet their occasional use in research has led to a minimally documented set of rearing methods. To facilitate further adoption of this insect model, we expanded on previously reported protocols and developed our own rearing methods, which we report here. Our protocol requires little specialized equipment, with a cost less than $100/month for the feeding and maintenance of a laboratory colony of about five hundred

SUBMITTER: Spencer EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12040098 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature