The Beemoth or Waxworm 7 



Eunnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Schleicher, Shackelford, Smith, 

 Stephens, Taylor, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Waller, 

 Ward, Washington, Wood, Wilson, and Williamson. 



The dissemination of the Ijeemoth in Texas has been very complete, 

 for there are few counties in the State where bees are kept that are 

 free from the pest today. The counties shown to be infested as reported 

 by beekeepers include all of the important beekeeping counties of the 

 State. There is no doubt that further inquiry will show the presence 

 of this pest in still other counties. 



SYSTEarATIC POSITION 



The very early writers refer to the beemoth as Tinea mellonella. 

 Later it was known as Galleria cereana Fabr, which genus was erected 

 by Fabricius. A more careful search of the early records revealed that 

 Linnaeus described two species of beemoths known as Tinea mellonella 

 and T. cereana. Writers were then very confused and we find the 

 beemoth called G. cereana; G. alveria, T. cerella. In early American 

 literature this species is referred to as G. oHiquella Walker. All recent 

 publications on this insect refer to the species as G. mellonella L. 



The name early applied to this species would indicate that it was 

 placed in the family Tineidae, which contains many small fringe-winged 

 moths, the larvae of which are often case-bearing. It can easily be 

 seen how this might have been done, as the waxworms construct very 

 substantial tunnels that might have been classed as cases. Today the 

 beemoth is placed in the family, Galleriidae, which is now included with 

 the Tineidae as the micro-lepidoptera. 



The lesser beemoth, a closely associated species, is now known as 

 Achroia grisella Pabr. The two species of moths have often been con- 

 fused by writers on beekeeping subjects. This species is not so widely 

 distributed as the larger beemoth. 



ECONOMIC IMPOETANCE 



What this pest is costing the beekeepers of the State is hard to de- 

 termine. The price of bees, honey and wax varies in the different, sec- 

 tions of the State. Often the loss of colonies is attributed to other 

 causes and frequently the presence of the beemoth is not detected. In 

 the reports which have been received from beekeepers, no mention has 

 been made of the loss of stored comb, but this must certainly be con- 

 siderable. 



The loss in some cases is very heavy. In the year 1911, 136 bee- 

 keepers reported losses varying from five per cent, to their colonies to 

 as high as ninety-five per cent. Many more beekeepers reported the 

 presence of. the beemoth as "general," indicating that they suffered no 

 small loss. In one very well kept apiary that has come under the 

 observation of the writer, there has been an annual loss of three per 

 cent, due to the beemoth. It is safe to say that in many of the larger 



