| The wax moth (golleria mellonclia) commonly enters beehives to lay its eggs. If the hive is weak, the moth larvae can be very destructive, eating honeybee brood and destroying comb. Wax moths are not generally a problem with a stronger hive, as there are enough worker bees on the frames to keep the moth population at a minimum. | |
  | Location within the hive The wax moth adult (shown here) enters the beehive and quickly hides from the bees to avoid being stung to death. The adult may be found on the empty honeycomb of a frame that has few or no worker bees; a weak hive will have such empty frames available. The adult moths most commonly hide in crevices too small for bees to enter, such as under the edge of the top cover, as shown in this illustration. The moth larvae spin webs on the frames or on the bottom board, as shown in the illustrations on this page, tunneling through the comb and destroying honey, pollen and bee brood. |
 | Larvae The wax moth larvae are light gray or tan-colored grubs, approximately 3/4 inch long. These larvae have the ability to crawl on their own over 10 ft, so if you remove them from the hive but merely throw them onto the ground, they could crawl right back into the hives! Always completely destroy the larvae unless you plan to use them for fish bait (some people even fry and eat them). |
 | Pupa This picture shows the pupal stage of the wax moth pre-adult development. The larva has formed a chrysalis, much like a butterfly, and grows to adulthood within this shell. Workers in the honeybee colony will often carry the chrysalis to the entrance or drag it out of the hive completely. If you see these at the hive entrance, you have a problem with wax moths. The larva has already done its damage, and you need to open and inspect the hive to help the bees eradicate the moth population in the hive. |
 | Moth larvae webs A serious wax moth invasion will look like this on the bottom board when you remove frames to inspect the hive. You must remove all the frames and eliminate all traces of the moths. A closer inspection of the picture at left reveals several moth cocoons in the webs. |
 | Eradicating the moth invaders After opening the hive and removing the frames, you should scrape out all traces of the moths. Notice the larvae in the webs. The small, dark specks are larva feces. |
 | Finish them off Don't take chances; either save the larvae for yourself (for fish bait, snacks, whatever) or kill them. |
Honeybee Medications
Periodic Apiary Inspections
Opening and Inspecting the Hive
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