Wax moths

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Wax moths
Bumblebee nest moth (Aphomia sociella)

Aphomia sociella ( Aphomia sociella )

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Superfamily : Common moth (Pyraloidea)
Family : European borer (Pyralidae)
Subfamily : Wax moths
Scientific name
Galleriinae
Zeller , 1848

The wax moths (Galleriinae) are a subfamily of the family of the borer (Pyralidae). About 300 species are currently known worldwide, seven of which are also found in Central Europe . The caterpillars of the eponymous species feed on pollen or brood residues in the wax combs of Stechimmen species . The best known species are the greater wax moth ( Galleria mellonella ), the small wax moth ( Achroia grisella ) and the bumblebee nest Motte ( Aphomia sociella ). However, not all wax moth species are parasitic. The caterpillars of some species feed on plants or seeds ( Melissoblaptes zelleri, Paralipsa gularis, Corcyra cephalonica ).

Way of life

The moths of the parasitic wax moths, attracted by their scent, fly into the nests of bumblebees and honey bees and lay eggs there. The larvae that hatch from it feed on pollen residues and the cocoons left behind by incubated cells of the honeycombs. Eating the honeycombs damages the brood of the infested insect colonies. Sometimes the wax moth larvae also eat the honeycomb content including the eggs or larvae it contains. Since the wax moth larvae take on the nest odor, they are not recognized as intruders and are not combated. However, the larvae cannot feed on pure wax. Some types, such as B. Corcyra cephalonica feed on dry plant materials.

Harmful effect

Large wax moth web

In beekeeping, there is the main risk that honeycombs taken from the bee colonies will be eaten away during storage. On the other hand, honeycombs that have not yet been incubated (e.g. from the honey chamber ) without pollen residues are not at risk. In addition, a minimum temperature of 14 ° C is required for the larvae to develop, which is why beekeepers only need to control them in the warm season. The feces of the wax moths can cause diseases such. B. the foulbrood can be transferred from a sick to a healthy bee colony. However, in such a case, other routes of transmission, such as robbery and honeycomb swapping by the beekeeper, are much more likely.

A strong infestation with these parasites can seriously damage a bumblebee colony in its development or even become extinct.

Use

Wild bee colonies build their nests, depending on the species, outdoors or, better protected, in tree hollows. The wax moths destroy the honeycomb structure of old, abandoned or dead bee nests so permanently that there is space for a new colonization by the bees. This hygienic effect also prevents diseases such as the American foulbrood . Wild bee colonies of the western honeybees , which breed in caves , are only found in Africa today and, due to the original distribution by humans, in the warmer regions of South, Central and North America.

The larvae of Galleria mellonella and Achroia grisella are used as food insects in terrariums . They are usually sold under the name wax maggots . The larvae are offered as bait when anglers need it. They are mostly referred to as bee maggots here, probably due to a misinterpretation of their natural way of life in the honeycomb.

Polyethylene breakdown by the larvae

In 2017 the journal Current Biology published an article on the ability of the larvae of the great wax moth to break down polyethylene . Polyethylene and the like polypropylene are synthetic polymers made from fossil petroleum products. They are not or only very difficult to biodegrade. They are primarily used to make plastic bags, about a trillion of which are made annually. The environmental problems caused by discarded plastic bags are correspondingly great . The ability of the larvae of the great wax moth to break down polyethylene is an interesting approach to addressing this major environmental problem. It is not yet clear whether the larvae can actually break down the polyethylene themselves, or whether the intestinal flora of the larvae may have this ability. The rate of degradation was 0.23 mg cm −2 h −1 ; this is significantly faster than the PE breakdown rate of a recently discovered bacterium and the intestinal flora of the dried fruit moth ( Plodia interpunctella ), which also has the ability to breakdown PE.

  • Wax moth larva in a self-spun cocoon

The investigations, especially the measurement results of the original work, are questioned by some scientists. Specific spectroscopic signals for the clear detection of ethylene glycol are said to be missing in the published data of the Spaniards. It is questionable whether "the caterpillar actually digests the ... polyethylene - and not just chews it and excretes it unchanged."

Systematics (Europe)

The subfamily of wax moths is represented in Europe with eight genera and 16 species. So far, seven species have been identified in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Tribe Tirathabini

Tribus Galleriini

supporting documents

literature

  • Barry Goater: British Pyralid Moths . 175 pp., Harley Books, Colchester, Essex 1986, ISBN 978-0946589081
  • Eugene G. Munroe, M. Alma Solis: The Pyraloidea . In: Niels Peder Kristensen (Ed.): Lepidoptera, Moths and Butterflies. Volume 1: Evolution, systematics, and biogeography . In: Maximilian Fischer (Ed.), Handbook of Zoology. Volume IV Arthropoda: Insecta , Part 35. pp. 233-256, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-11-015704-7
  • František Slamka: The common moth (Pyraloidea) of Central Europe: determination - distribution - flight area - way of life of the caterpillars . 2nd partially revised edition 112 pp., Bratislava 1997, ISBN 8-096-75402-5
  • Thomas Kaltenbach, Peter Victor Küppers: Small butterflies. Verlag J. Neudamm-Neudamm, Melsungen 1987, ISBN 3-788-80510-2

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Paolo Bombelli, Christopher J. Howe, Federica Bertocchini: Polyethylene bio-degradation by caterpillars of the wax moth Galleria mellonella. Current Biology, 27: R283-R293, April 24, 2017 PDF
  2. ↑ Shosuke Yoshida, Kazumi Hiraga, Toshihiko Takehana, Ikuo Taniguchi, Hironao Yamaji, Yasuhito Maeda, Kiyotsuna Toyohara, Kenji Miyamoto, Yoshiharu Kimura, Kohei Oda1: A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly (ethylene terephthalate). Science, 351, (Issue 6278): 1196-1199, 2016 abstract
  3. ↑ Lars Fischer: But no plastic-eating caterpillars. Spektrum der Wissenschaft Verlag, August 31, 2017, accessed on August 30, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Galleriinae. Fauna Europaea, accessed March 27, 2007 .
  5. ^ Pyralidae. Lepiforum eV, accessed on March 26, 2007 .

Web links

Commons : Galleriinae  - collection of images, videos and audio files