Also known as the 'bee moth', 'wax miller', 'bee miller', 'honeycomb moth' or webworm, the wax moth is a type of insect which tends to lay eggs inside bee colonies.

There are two species; the Greater Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) and the Lesser Wax Moth (Achroia grisella). The Greater moth has a wingspan of one to one and a half inches and is brownish, with varying amounts of ashy-white markings. The Lesser moth has a wingspan of about half an inch to just less than an inch, and is silvery in colour with no pattern markings, and it flies and runs about a lot quicker than the Greater moth. It is difficult to tell them apart at larvae stage; the only real difference is that the larvae of the Lesser moth tend to be somewhat smaller.

It's an extremely annoying pest to beekeepers, due to the damage it causes to unpopulated (or nearly so) honeycomb, both in the laying of eggs and in the damage the young larvae do to both the honeycomb and the honey itself; the larvae damage the cells the honey is stored in while moving about the colony. Nevertheless, it plays an important role in nature by getting rid of old, dead colonies.

The Mediterranean flour moth, Indian meal moth and dried fruit moth are related insects which may be found in similar places.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.