ENVS 2210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Pesticide Poisoning, Organophosphate, Guttation
22 Apr 2017
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Document Summary
Wax moths are the most damaging invertebrate pests known to affect honey bees. Wax moths can reduce drawn comb to webbing and debris. A description of the most relevant aspects of these pests follows: types: there are at least two species of moths that cause damage to comb in the hive: the greater wax moth and the smaller wax moth. The most common is the first one, galleria melonella. The moth"s larvae feed on wax, honey, and pollen. They more easily attack weak colonies that cannot defend themselves and cannot protect all the comb in the hive. Stored combs in warehouses are also affected by wax moths during the warmest months of the year: life cycle: adults mate outside the hive and females return to the hive to lay eggs on combs. Larvae burrow tunnels in the midrib of combs (protected from worker bees), spinning silken threads. Galleria pupates on wooden frames and boxes; after pupation, adults emerge.
