THE WAX MOTH AND ITS CONTROL Fi 
THE ADULT 
The adult wax moths are about three-fourths of an inch in length 
and have a wing spread of about 1 to 114 inches in well-developed 
specimens. They are commonly seen in the resting position with 
thaw grayish-brown wings folded, rooflike, closely about them 
(fig. 4, A and B). The moths are not easily disturbed, but when 
molested they run rapidly before they take wing. The males are 
slightly smaller than the females and may be distinguished from 
them by the shape of the outer margin of the fore wing, which is 
smooth in the female but roundly notched in the male. The sexes 
FIGURE 3.—Pupal cases, or cocoons, of the wax moth. 
may also be distinguished easily by the palpi of the mouth parts, 
which are prominent in the female but absent in the male. 
The moths vary widely in size and color, according to the type of 
food consumed by the larvae and to the length of time of develop- 
ment. Small, poorly nourished larvae, or those which, because of 
low temperatures or other factors, develop slowly, transform into 
small adults, sometimes less than half the normal size. Such small 
adults might easily be confused with the lesser wax moth. Larvae 
fed on dark brood combs transform into adults which may be dark 
gray to almost black, while larvae which survive on pure wax, or on 
foundation, transform into moths that are silvery white and smaller 
than those reared on brood comb. 
The female starts depositing eggs from 4 to 10 days after emergence 
and continues depositing them as long as her bodily vitality lasts. 
Egg laying may be rapid at times, and as many as 102 eggs have been 
deposited by a female in 1 minute. The total number of eggs laid by 
