**Wax Moths** (*Galleria mellonella* – **Greater Wax Moth** and *Achroia grisella* – **Lesser Wax Moth**) are major pests of stored honeycomb and weak honey bee colonies. The conflict is **comb destruction**: the larvae tunnel through and consume the **wax and pollen** within the honeycomb, lining their tunnels with silk. This activity rapidly destroys valuable bee comb, contaminates honey, and can overwhelm weak bee colonies, leading to colony death or absconding. They are one of the most damaging pests for beekeepers.
Taxonomy and Classification
Wax Moths belong to the Order Lepidoptera (Moths and Butterflies) and the Family Pyralidae (Snout Moths). They undergo complete metamorphosis. The larvae are uniquely adapted to digest beeswax.
Physical Description
Adults are 15 mm to 35mm wingspan.
- **Adult (Key ID):** Nondescript, brownish-gray moth; often seen running across surfaces rather than flying; males are strongly attracted to pheromone traps.
- **Larva (Key ID):** Creamy-white, greasy-looking caterpillar with a dark head, found tunneling through the comb.
- **Damage ID (Key):** Extensive **silken webbing** throughout the comb; frass pellets; destruction of the wax foundation; chewed tunnels that destroy brood and stored honey.
- **Conflict:** Agricultural (Apiary).
Distribution and Habitat
Cosmopolitan, found worldwide where honey bees are kept. Habitat is the bee colony or stored bee equipment (supers, frames, foundation) that contains wax comb.
Behavior and Conflict
The conflict is their ability to digest wax.
- **Digestive Ability:** Their larvae possess special gut enzymes that allow them to consume beeswax, a unique and valuable resource in the hive.
- **Weak Colonies:** Strong colonies easily manage and remove the moths, but weak colonies are quickly overwhelmed.
Management and Prevention
Management is **Prevention, Cold Storage, and Chemical Treatment**.
- **Colony Strength:** Maintaining strong, healthy bee colonies that can defend themselves.
- **Cold Storage:** Storing valuable honeycomb frames in a freezer (<-10 C for 48 hours) to kill all life stages before storage.
- Use of chemical fumigants (acetic acid, sulfur dioxide) in sealed, non-occupied storage areas to treat infested comb.
Conservation and Research
Research focuses on the remarkable ability of the larvae to digest polyethylene plastic (due to their wax-digesting enzymes) and their potential use in plastic waste decomposition.