MickBBKA wrote:I know I always bang on about regional differences but it is all in honest talk.
In my area I have never in 8 years seen a single wax moth in any colony.... I wonder if wax moth is more suited to southern warmer areas..?
Lesser wax moth is found throughout the UK but Greater wax moth does seem to have more public records in the south. The problem with online distribution maps is they rely on having people who can identify them reliably collecting records, being prepared to share them and someone else being prepared to publicise them.
Let’s face it, both adult moths are pretty dull and often found in association with beehives or stored equipment - if someone runs a moth trap a couple of miles away they may not record any. Lepidopterists don’t consider either common species, but then again they usually don’t look after the larvae’s main food source.
I very rarely see either species in occupied hives either. It is usually in dead outs left unattended or stored brood frames. I have been storing supers without any chemical protection for around a decade without incident.
If you really don’t get either around you - that’s grounds for celebration!