The S-endotoxin genes of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and proteinase inhibitor (PI) genes are two kinds of genes popularly used for developing transgenic plants resistant to insect pests. To clarify whether there is any risk concerning the effects of pollens from these transgenic crops on non-target insects with economic importance, such as the effects on the growth and development as well as cocoon quality of the silkworm, Bombyx mori Linnaeus, a series of feeding experiments were conducted, using pollens from transgenic cotton or corn containing cry 1Ac, cry1A+CpTI or crylAb genes, compared with pollens from non-transgenic normal cotton and corn as well as the non-pollen treatment. In contrast to the latter ones, pollens from transgenic plants showed no significant adverse effects on larval mortality, cocoon weight, pupa weight, cocoon shell weight, pupation rate, emergence rate and fecundity of the silkworm after neonates were fed with the pollens for 72 h. In addition, no dosage effects of pollens we The S-endotoxin genes of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and proteinase inhibitor (PI) genes are two kinds of genes popularly used for developing transgenic plants resistant to insect pests. To clarify whether there is any risk concerning the effects of pollens from these transgenic crops on non-target insects with economic importance, such as the effects on the growth and development as well as cocoon quality of the silkworm, Bombyx mori Linnaeus, a series of feeding experiments were conducted using pollens from transgenic cotton or corn containing cry 1Ac, cry1A + CpTI or crylAb genes, compared with pollens from non-transgenic normal cotton and corn as well as the non-pollen treatment. In contrast to the latter ones, pollens from transgenic plants showed no significant adverse effects on larval mortality, cocoon weight, pupa weight, cocoon shell weight, pupation rate, emergence rate and fecundity of the silkworm after neonates were fed with the pollens for 72 h. In addition, no dosage eff ects of pollens we