Greater wax moth, Honeycomb moth
Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth or honeycomb moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. G. mellonella is found throughout the world. It is one of two species of wax moths, with the other being the lesser wax moth. G. mellonella eggs are laid in the spring, and they have four life stages. Males are able to generate ultrasonic sound pulses, which, along with pheromones, are used in mating. The larvae of G. mellonella are also often used as a model organism in research.
The greater wax moth is well known for its parasitization of honeybees and their hives. Because of the economic loss caused by this species, several control methods including heat treatment and chemical fumigants such as carbon dioxide have been used.
The caterpillar of G. mellonella has attracted interest for its ability to degrade polyethylene plastic.
G. mellonella was first reported as a pest in Asia, but then spread to northern Africa, Great Britain, some parts of Europe, northern America, and New Zealand. The species is now distributed throughout the globe. It has been reported in twenty-seven African countries, nine Asian countries, four North American countries, three Latin American countries, Australia, ten European countries, and five island countries. It is projected that the pest may spread further, especially due to climate change.
G. mellonella can be found where honeybees are cultivated.
The life cycle of G. mellonella proceeds through four stages: egg, larvae, pupae and adult. Generally, eggs are laid in the early spring and the moth undergoes four to six generations annually. By December, the eggs, larvae, and pupae enter diapause in wait for warmer weather.
Males call for females with ultrasonic sound pulses that attract virgin females and initiate courtship Once females get closer, males produce a sex pheromone to initiate mating. There are many known kinds of sex pheromone including nonanal, decanal, hexanal, heptanal, undecanal, 6,10,14 trimethylpentacanol-2 and 5,11-dimethylpentacosane. It is also known that these pheromones are often used to create traps to attract females. However, as traps baited with these pheromones do not attract virgin females over long distances, acoustics have to be used to draw females in first.
