lo July, 1912.] Bcc Moths. 411 



BEE MOTHS. 



By C. French, Junior , Acting Government Entomologist, and 

 F. R. BeuJine, Bee Expert. 



Bee or Wax Moths are undoul>tedly one of the worst pests beekeepers 

 Jiave to contend with in Victoria. There are two species, the " Larger 

 Bee Moth " {G alter ia niellonella) and the " Lesser Bee Moth " {AcJirceca 

 griselld) ; both species are frequently found in the same apiary ; and these 

 pests are present in most parts of the world where bee-keeping is carried 

 on. The larvae of both moths are great enemies to bees, and may become 

 very destructive. They perforate the comb with burrows, thereby destroy- 

 ing the cells, and often cover it with a network of silken threads. The 

 destruction of the cells, and the impediments caused by the silken network, 

 partly smother the larvae, and, as the adult bees are greatly hampered 

 by the threads in feeding them, the larvae are liable to be starved. 



The " Larger Bee Moth," which measures about i inch in length, is of 

 a dark brown colour, and the under wings are a light grey on the margin, 

 with a lighter colour towards the centre. When young, the caterpillars are 

 yellowish in colour, and when fully grown, are a dull greyish colour. 



The " Lesser Bee Moth " is a uniform coloured drab-grey moth, with 

 a yellow head. The larvae are whitish, with a brown head. They are 

 usually found in Spring, on the floor of hives, amongst the waste wax, 

 which consists chiefly of the caps of the honey cells, emptied by the bees 

 during the Winter. The floor of the hive should, therefore, be scraped 

 clean at the first examination of hives in Spring, and the debris removed 

 and burnt. When quilts or mats are used over the frames the larvae and 

 cocoons of the lesser wax moths are often found between the top bars and 

 the quilt. 



In Victoria there are least four broods in a season ; the first, appearing 

 in early Spring from caterpillars that have passed the Winter in a semi- 

 dormant condition, is not so destructive as the others appearing later, be- 

 cause the larvae, being smaller, eat less than those of the larger sort, and 

 also because they do not spin quite so profusely. Italian or Ligurian bees 

 are not attacked to any extent. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



A good hive, filled with a strong colony of Italian bees, is the besi: 

 preventative against these pests. Cleanliness is of the greatest importance, 

 and to obtain this use frame hives. All moths, cocoons, and larvae should 

 l)e destroyed when found. All hives should be made of timber sufficiently 

 thick to prevent splitting or warping, and the boxes should fit closely to 

 the bottom board. If the timber is cracked it will enable the moths to 

 -enter, and deposit their eggs near the honeycomb. 



Empty, or partly filled, combs, removed from the hives at the end of 

 the season, should be at once put beyond the reach of the wax moth. If 

 left standing about, even for a few hours, the odour of the combs attracts 

 ■the female moths, who deposit their eggs on the combs. The eggs hatch 

 in the following Spring to the surprise of the beekeeper, who carefully 

 secured his combs against moths, and probably only left them about for 

 -a little time. The cocoons are attacked by a small spec'es of parasitic 

 ■wasp which helps to keep them in check. 



