Biological Study and Management of the Greater Wax Moth

Greater wax moth is one of the most destructive pests of honey bees,which attacks on the weak colonies and causing heavy destruction of wax combs frames in stored and natural outdoor condition. It is very important to understand the management aspects of wax moth both in stored and natural conditions, for the better management of greater wax moths we must very well know about their biological status and life history so we are discussing about the biological studies of greater wax moth. Biology of greater wax moth were studied at four different temperature levels viz., 25, 30, 35 and 40 °C each under three relative humidity levels of 30, 50 and 80 per cent with each temperature level respectively in the laboratory. Finding of the efficacy of different concentration of biopesticides viz. B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (at 1, 1.5 and 2% concentration), Custard apple seed extract (at 2, 4 and 6% concentration) and Neem oil (at 1, 2 and 3% concentration) each tested at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after treatment. Apart from these, the population dynamics of the greater wax moths and ectoparasitic mite were also studied on the A. mellifera colony.