BugFan Danielle sent these shots and wondered if the moth might be a Bee moth (Aphomia sociella) (the Bee moth is not to be mistaken for the amazing little Moth fly, of previous BOTW fame -?). The BugLady agreed that it could very well be, but she emphasized that if there is a secret handshake for moth identification, she hasn’t learned it yet.

Bee moths are in the family Pyralidae, the Grass or Snout moths (the family Crambidae shares the name “Snout moths,” and for the same reason – because the sensory mouthparts (labial palps) of some members are prominent and protruding ). This is the BugLady’s favorite Pyralid moth . 

Pyralids are mostly small, drab moths, some of which, like the Bee moth, take a toll on economically important plants or pollinators, some of which control unwanted plants, some of which are bred commercially as pet foods and bait, and many of which simply live out their lives under our radar. Pyralid moths may hold their wings flat at rest or may roll them () or may hold them out to the sides. They have tymbals (hearing organs), presumably so they can detect bats’ echolocation signals and dodge them. Their larvae live concealed lives in stems, fruits, or seeds, within tied leaf shelters, in the soil, or in nests of bees and wasps and sometimes mice. 

BEE MOTHS, also called Bumble bee wax moths, aren’t from around here. They were first reported in North America in 1864, and like the BugLady’s ancestors, they came over on the boat from Europe. They’re found in the northeastern quadrant of North America from Tennessee, north (plus Mississippi), and in a few western states and British Columbia. 

Their wingspan is listed as about 0.70 to 1.50 inches, which is quite a range in a species this size, especially since females are not much larger than males. They may be tan, reddish , or greenish . Males are more intensely-colored and patterned, and females have a dark spot in the middle of each fore (top) wing. They seem to have a little iridescence going on.

Courtship is complicated, involving wing-fanning and the deployment of pheromones by both females and males (whose scents may also repel competitors, but if that doesn’t work, fisticuffs may ensue). Males also produce ultrasonic sounds (songs). One source suggested that the pheromones are biosynthesized from the Aspergillus fungus eaten by the larvae in nests and hives. Using her sense of smell, a female locates exposed, above-ground nests of some social bees and wasps like honey bees, bumble bees, German yellowjackets, and bald-faced hornets and lays as many as 100 eggs there. She arrives in early summer, before the hive/nest population peaks and the hosts’ defenses strengthen. 

Several sources labeled the small, yellow larvae as “inquilines,” feeding on the nest detritus, waste, dead bodies, pollen and honey, wax, and fungus from within a tough tent of silk. But they’re not just harmless guests – they cross the line by damaging the nest structure with their tunneling and later with their dense webs and galleries , and as they get older, by eating the eggs, larvae, and pupae of their hosts (unusual because most moth larvae are vegetarians). In some cases, the larvae may end up relegated to a small section of a nest as it expands. They exit the nest in fall, overwinter as larvae, and pupate in spring. They are not welcome in commercial bee operations, and they seem more able to get a foothold in honey bee hives that are already compromised.

The feeding tent may protect larvae in case their hosts discover them; adult moths play possum when alarmed, which may serve them both outside and inside the host’s nest.

Sources danced around the severity of the impact that Bee moths might have on honey bees. They’re obviously a potential problem in commercial bee operations, but they’re not listed among the major offenders – various mites and lice and the larvae of another alien Pyralid called the Wax moth – and the internet didn’t light up with Bee moth Wanted posters. A blog from Yorkshire, England stated that “They are not a pest of honey bees.” An interesting point was made in one research paper about the connection between nearby commercial honey bee operations and the health of wild bumble bee nests. Researchers noted that competition with honey bees – sharing food resources – stresses bumble bees, and that having honey bees as close neighbors increases the risk of transferring disease organisms and parasites (like Bee moths) from honey bee hives to bumble bee nests, where their impact may be greater.

Thanks, Danielle! 

The BugLady

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As always, we pause to celebrate (while humming seasonal songs and drinking eggy, adult beverages), the Twelve Bugs of Christmas (plus one) – a baker’s dozen of bugs, many of whom have already starred in their own BOTWs but who posed nicely for the BugLady this year.

Acmaeodora pulchella – The BugLady is no fan of symmetry, and she likes that the lack of it in this picture creeps up on you. The bookend beetles are called Spotted/Yellow-marked flower beetles (Acmaeodora pulchella–“pulchellos” being Latin for “beautiful”), in the metallic wood borer family Buprestidae.

Azure Bluet Damselfly – “bright blue in color, like a cloudless sky.”

Praying mantis – There are some bugs that seem, well, just a little improbable, and there are some bugs that are really easy to anthropomorphize. Praying mantises check both boxes. Remember, the spelling of their name comes from their devout posture, not from the predatory aspect of those raptorial front legs. This graceful youngster was photographed in southern Ohio. Here’s a praying mantis bedtime story for your enjoyment .

A Racket-tailed Emerald dragonfly hangs from a twig like a small ornament.

This Bald-faced Hornet nest is 10 feet off a trail that the BugLady uses pretty often, and she walked past it without noticing it until fall, when some leaves dropped off the shrub and revealed it, like a present being unwrapped. That’s the down-side of Bald-faced hornets – you can get pretty darn close to their paper abode before you see it, and they defend it vigorously (and, no, pitching rocks at it from a distance is not an alternative for the curious – they will find you).

Crab spider – There are two nifty bits of camouflage going on here. First, the eternal wonder of a crab spider finding just the right spot to sit. Second, the “fly” that this spider has snagged is actually a beetle named Ripiphorus (of previous BOTW fame /field-station/bug-of-the-week/its-a-beetle-really/). The BugLady has no idea why it would be an advantage to look like a fly.

Orange Sulphur Butterfly – Occasionally (and, in the BugLady’s case, mainly by accident) the planets line up and you get something like this – an almost-in-focus Orange Sulphur coming in to feed on New England aster.

Red-belted Bumblebee – Although she is not very good at identifying them, the BugLady surely loves taking pictures of bumblebees. There were lots of sightings this summer of the federally-endangered Rusty-patched Bumblebee (more about that in a future BOTW). The BugLady’s walks are going to take a whole lot longer if she’s checking the rear ends of every bumblebee she finds!

Virginia Ctenucha moth – This striking moth was just starting to unfurl its wings. Here’s what the finished product looks like .

Pine tree Spur-throated Grasshopper – Grasshoppers can be tough to identify and even tougher to photograph, and the BugLady has never really been a grasshopper person. Pine tree spur-throated grasshoppers, like this beauty, could convert her.

Sign-reading Grasshopper – That being said, she hopes that this Differential grasshopper finishes reading and moves on before it becomes a statistic.

DOR in Ohio – The BugLady found this foursome in the middle of a country road in Ohio after a dark and stormy night. The main attraction is a shiny, green, road-kill Japanese beetle. It’s being attended by a scavenging millipede and a daddy longlegs, both of whom are there for the free (and tenderized) protein. The fourth member of the quartet? Those tiny red ornaments on the daddy longlegs’ legs are mites that are acting like ticks (“So, naturalists observe, a flea/Has smaller fleas that on him prey;/And these have smaller still to bite ’em,/And so proceed ad infinitum…..” Jonathan Swift).

A Monarch Caterpillar contemplating the miraculous road ahead of it /field-station/bug-of-the-week/pupal-cases/.

May your holiday season be bursting with warmth and family and friends and festivities and music.

The BugLady

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