Honey-bee-parasite
Guides
Achroia grisella
Lesser Wax Moth
Achroia grisella, the lesser wax moth, is a pyralid moth and pest of honey bee colonies worldwide. It is smaller and less destructive than the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella), primarily infesting weak or abandoned honey bee colonies where larvae feed on beeswax, pollen, honey, and brood cappings. The species has a worldwide distribution in temperate and tropical regions where honey bees are kept, and its spread has been facilitated by human-mediated transport of beekeeping equipment. Adults are small grayish moths with distinctive yellow heads. The species is notable for its unusually simple directional ear, which enables acoustic localization for both predator avoidance and mate finding.