Lesser wax moth
Lesser wax moth | |
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Adult specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pyralidae |
Genus: | Achroia |
Species: | A. grisella
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Binomial name | |
Achroia grisella (Fabricius, 1794)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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The lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) is a small moth of the
The mating systems of the lesser wax moth are well researched because they involve sound production. Lesser wax males produce
Because lesser wax moths eat unoccupied honey bee combs, they are considered pests to bees and beekeepers. However, unoccupied combs can harbor harmful pathogens that inflict damage to neighboring insects. By eating the combs, the moths can reduce the harm to insects of that region and provide a clean space for other organisms to inhabit.[8]
Geographic range
Lesser wax moths are known or suspected to inhabit most of Africa (including
Climate
Lesser wax moths are found everywhere that honey bees are present, but they are more successful in warmer,
Food resources
Larvae diet
Feeding occurs only during the larval life stage. Larvae feed on weak bee colonies. Therefore, the amount of food that the larvae can eat depends on the amount of material that the bee colony produced, as well as the number of moth generations that have persisted on the same comb since the initial
Parental care
Oviposition
Females deposit their eggs in crevices in or near bee hives so that a food source will be close to the emerging larvae. When a female has found an acceptable spot, she extends her body into the crevice and then lays her eggs. A female lays on average 250-300 eggs in her lifetime.[8][11]
Life history
Egg
The eggs are similar to those of greater wax moths. They are spherical and creamy white in color. Eggs hatch in about five to eight days but warmer temperatures shorten the hatching time.[8]
Larvae
Pupa
The
Adult
Adults are a silver, grey, or beige with a yellow head. They are thin and are 0.5 inches in length with a
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Larvae
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Pupa
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Adult female
Enemies
Predators
In order to attract mates, male lesser wax moths stay in a stationary position and emit a high-frequency sound.
Defense
The bat calling sound is a long and slowly repeating signal.[13] If males hear the call of an approaching bat or a similar sound, they will stop their mate calling.[6][13] The males will remain silent for several milliseconds to more than a minute. More sexually attractive males, those with higher single pulse pair rates and amplitudes, experience a higher risk of predation because they resume mate calling sooner than less attractive males. This may occur because the attractive males are better equipped to escape from bats, thus decreasing the apparently high risk. Another theory is that risk taking could be a sexually selected trait.[6] Females can decipher between the moth calling and the bat calling sound. During mate calling, females fan their wings. However, when they hear the bat's sound, they stop fanning their wings. In order to avoid being captured by bats, the moths fly erratically, fall to the ground, or fly away from the source of the sound.[13]
Mating
Mate searching behavior
In the lesser wax moth species, the males engage in signaling behavior while the females engage in searching roles.[14]
Pheromones
Lesser wax male moths emit a sex pheromone that is made up of two components: n-undecanal and cis-11-n-octadecenal.[13][15] The pheromone is released from wing glands.[13] It is attractive to females over long distances, but the pheromones alone are not sufficient to generate mating behaviors.[7][13][14][15] When males are under attack by bats, they stop producing calling sounds but will continue emitting the pheromone.[13]
Sound
The lesser wax moth mating system is based on sound. Experiments have shown that sounds from a speaker are able to elicit the same attractive result from females as live males that release both sound and pheromones. Males emit short ultrasonic pulses with a high frequency of 100 kHz and an intensity of 93 dB. The signal of the sound can differ significantly between males. For example, there can be a 15 dB range in peak amplitude between males in the same population.[14] The male calling characteristics may be genetic and inherited.[9] Pulse amplitude is also positively correlated to a male moth's weight.[7]
Effects of temperature
Components of the male ultrasonic pulses are genetically based, but environmental temperature can affect the specific genotype's performance.[16] As temperature increases, a lesser wax moth male's pulse rate increases and the female's acceptance threshold for rates increases. These changes most likely occur due to physiological effects, but the increase in pulse rate and acceptance threshold may also be used to avoid predation. Additionally, the increase in female acceptance threshold allows them to continue choosing the most attractive male by not mistaking a low-quality male for high-quality due to his new, faster pulse rate.[17]
Mate choice
Although pheromones alone do not cause a female to move towards a male for mating, odor, signal location, and male-male interactions may play a role in male attractiveness.
Lekking
Sexual selection occurs near honey bee colonies. The males will group together on grass or leaves near the colony where they spent most of their life.[6][7][13] These leks are small and occur in the night.[6] Because the moths are close together in the leks, some males will purposely run into stationary neighbors who are in the process of signaling in order to move them.[15] Additionally, studies have been conducted that show these moths increase their signal rate when having to compete with others for a local female, but due to the physical demands of an increased signal rate, its duration typically lasts only five to ten minutes. It has been concluded that these are the most prevalent few minutes of the entire six to ten hours spent active each night.[12]
Physiology
Hearing
Sound generation
Males produce
Interactions with humans
Pest of beekeepers
Bald brood
A disorder called bald brood occurs in hives infested by lesser wax moths. When feeding on the comb, larvae tunnel under capped cells containing honey bee pupae. This movement causes the caps to become defective. The worker bees will then remove the defective caps. The name bald brood refers to the remaining uncapped cells that reveal the residing pupa.[8]
Prevention
In order to prevent a lesser wax moth
Control
Temperature regulation
Temperature can play a crucial role in lesser wax larvae activity and survival. At 37 °F (3 °C), the larvae can survive but they become less active. Larvae cannot survive in freezing temperatures. In order to ensure that hive products are safe for humans to consume, beekeepers can freeze the hives for one to two days at 20 °F (−7 °C). Extreme heat (114 °F (46 °C)) can also be used to kill larvae, but combs are susceptible to melting at similar high temperatures.[8]
Fumigation
Different chemicals can be used to kill lesser wax larvae, but many of them can be harmful to both the comb and humans. For example, carbon monoxide is effective in killing the larvae and the comb is left unharmed, but it is toxic to the person administering the fumes.[8]
Bacillus thuringiensis
Bacillus thuringiensis is a microbial insecticide. When consumed, it is lethal to lesser wax larvae. However, bees are immune to the insecticide's harmful effects because even if the bees ingest the wax, they cannot digest the pesticide. When a powder containing B. thuringiensis is mixed with beeswax present in bee combs, the lesser wax moth is killed and the bees remained unharmed. While a B. thuringiensis-infused liquid can also be used, the powder is more effective and remains protective to bee combs for two years.[18]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Savela, Markku. "Achroia grisella (Fabricius, 1794)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Lesser Wax Moth". University of Florida.
- ^ .
- ^ a b "Fauna Europaea".
- ^ a b c d Spangler, Hayward G.; Takessian, Alex (1986). "Further Observations on Sound Production by the Lesser Wax Moth, Achroia grisella (F.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 59 (3): 555–557.
- ^ .
- ^ S2CID 30141562.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Egelie, Ashley A.; Mortensen, Ashley N.; Barber, Lynn; Sullivan, Jessica; Ellis, James D. "University of Florida".
- ^ S2CID 17499218.
- ^ a b Grabe, Albert. "Eigenartige Geschmacksrichtungen bei Kleinschmetterlingsraupen [Strange tastes among micromoth caterpillars]". Zeitschrift des Wiener Entomologen-Vereins. 27: 105–109.
- ^ "COLOSS".
- ^ S2CID 2391275.
- ^ JSTOR 3671001.
- ^ S2CID 53174298.
- ^ JSTOR 3494597.
- PMID 20722891.
- S2CID 22700544.
- PMID 5672009.
Further reading
- "Wax Moth". 2001. Blessed Bee Apiaries Incorporated. 7 October 2006
- https://web.archive.org/web/20061002061713/http://www.blessedbee.ca/encyclopedia/honeybees/diseases/waxmoths.php
- "Wax Moth" (PDF). MAAREC. February 2000.
- M. T. Sanford (2018-05-21). "Wax Moth Control". University of Florida IFAS extension.