2 CIRCULAR 3 8 6, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE < 



LIFE HISTORY 

 The Egg 



The egg of the wax moth is small, white, and rather incon- 

 spicuous (fig. 2). It measures about one fifty-fourth of an inch in 

 length and one-sixtieth of an inch in greatest width. 



The eggs are probably laid most frequently in the cracks between 

 hive parts — that is, between supers, between hive body and bottom 

 board, or between super and cover. Egg masses have been found in 



Figure 1. — Webs and tunnels made by larvae of the wax motb in a comb. 



cracks between the inner cover and the top super of the hive, where 

 they had apparently been deposited by females from outside the 

 hive. Eggs are also laid inside the hive, almost always in places 

 farthest from the light. They are difficult to see and may often be 

 overlooked. 



At 75° to 80° F. the eggs hatch in from 5 to 8 days, but at lower 

 temperatures (50° to 60°) the incubation period may extend to 

 35 days. 



The Larva 



The young larvae are often seen on the inner covers of hives and 

 in the cracks between supers and hive parts. They attempt to 



