THE LIFE HISTORY AND CONTROL OF THE BEE-MOTH 
OR WAX-WORM. 
By F. B. Pappocx. 
A serious hindrance to the beekeeping industry in the State of Texas, 
as well as in many other States, is the bee-moth (Galleria mellonelia). 
Under the name of “webh-worm” this pest is known to every beekeeper, 
-but it is not as generally known that these web-worms develop, after 
maturity, into moths or “millers.” The larvee feed upon stored comb and 
honey, as well as on combs in the hive, and this makes it a difficult pest 
to fight successfully. 
When and how this pest was introduced into Texas is not known, nor 
has the location of the first infestation been determined. It is evident that 
the dissemination has been complete, for there are few counties in the 
State where bees are kept that are free from the pest today. The climate 
of the State, with its long, hot summers and short, mild winters, greatly 
favors the increase of the insect: and it is much harder to fight here tham 
in many other States. In Colorado the high altitude is apparently a 
check on its development and in the Northeastern States the long, cold 
winters act as a natural check to a considerable extent. 
With some beekeepers this insect is no longer considered a serious pest, 
for they realize that if the colony is provided with a vigorous queen and 
is kept strong the bee-moth. cannot enter the hive to deposit the eggs 
which hatch into the worms. The insect has become very largely an 
enemy of bees in box hives and a destroyer of stored comb and honey,. 
found often around the honey house and in piles of unused supers of 
comb. In large apiaries the wax and comb that is often carelessly left 
lying around. affords sufficient food in which the insect breeds, ready to 
infest any weak colony in the vicinity. With many beekeepers the bee~ 
moth is a source of continuous trouble, for if the bees are not closely 
-watched and become queenless, the colony is sure to become infested im 
a very short time. If the bee-moth becomes established in a locality it is 
very hard-to exterminate. At present the beekeepers are not able to more 
than check the pest, but it is hoped that a more thorough knowledge of 
the habits and life history will result in better control of this enemy and 
a reduction of. the loss now suffered from its ravages. 
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE. 
What this pest is costing the beekeepers of the State is hard to deter- 
mine. The price of bees, honey and wax varies in the different sections 
of the State. Often the loss of colonies is attributed to other causes and 
frequently: the presence of the bee-moth 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 considerable. 
The loss in some cases is very heavy. In reporting for the year 1911, 
136 beekeepers reported losses varying from 5 per cent of their colonies 
to as high as 95 per cent. Many more beekeepers reported the presence 
