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Glite Dictionary
wax moth

wax moth

8.3
A moth whose young caterpillars eat the honeycomb in beehives and damage bee colonies
  • noun
  • /wæks mɔθ/
translation icon : polilla de la cera
  • The wax moth larvae can destroy entire beehives if left unchecked.

Examples

  • Beekeepers must regularly inspect their hives for signs of wax moth infestation.

  • During early research, they used cadavers of Tenebrio molitor, commonly known as the yellow mealworm, and Galleria mellonella, or greater wax moth.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The presence of a wax moth in a honeycomb indicates potential damage to the colony.

Synonyms

Galleria mellonella
vswax moth
  • Specialized
9.9

A moth whose caterpillars live in beehives and eat honeycomb, often damaging hives

is the general name for moths that feed on honeycombs rather than one species
bee moth
vswax moth
8.7

A small moth whose larvae eat wax and honeycomb in beehives

is a broader label but focuses on the same larvae feeding and damage

Surface Forms

wax moth singular
wax moths plural

Morphology

wax + moth

The compound 'wax moth' is directly compositional: 'wax' specifies the substance and 'moth' the insect, so the phrase denotes a moth associated with wax (e.g., feeding on honeycombs). This noun+noun naming pattern (host/substrate + animal) is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun wax moth comes from a moth whose young eat the wax inside beehives. Its caterpillars tunnel through the 'honeycomb' and can 'damage' the hive, so the name shows what the insect does.