Galleria mellonella (Linnaeus, 1758) Species
Last modified: July 27, 2024, 9:16 a.m.
A fairly common species in most areas of Belgium, with most observations in the northern part of the country.
Details
- Classification
- Family: Pyralidae > Subfamily: Galleriinae > Tribus: Galleriini > Genus: Galleria > Species: Galleria mellonella
- Vernacular names
- Grote wasmot (NL), Wax Moth (EN), Teigne de la cire (FR), Große Wachsmotte (DE)
- Synonyms
- Galleria cerella (Fabricius, 1775)
- First mention in Belgium
- De Sélys-Longchamps E. 1844. Énumération des insectes Lépidoptères de la Belgique. — Mémoires de la Société royale des Sciences de Liége 2: 1–35. On page 23 (as Galleria cerella L.). view page
- Status
-
Native
Distribution
Imago
Wingspan 29–40 mm.
Museum specimens
Specimens in nature
Bionomics
The larvae live on the comb in bee-hives, preferably an old one, in a silk-lined gallery. They hibernate and later pupate in their cocoon.
The moths are active at night and come to light or sugar.
No pictures yet!
Flight periods
The adults have been observed mainly from April till October.
