Species Vitula edmandsii - American Wax Moth - Hodges#6007

6007

Dried Fruit Moth

Driedfruit Moth

Vitula edmandsii (Packard, 1864)

Nephopteryx [sic] edmandsii Packard, 1864

Vitula dentosella Ragonot, 1887

Vitula edmandsae Heinrich, 1956 emendation

Wingspan: 20–25 mm (1)

Adult: Distinctive blue-grey FW ground color, with a slight rosy suffusion with blackish markings. (1)

Vitula edmandsii edmandsii -dried fruit moth (Europe, eastern North America)

Larvae are larger than larvae of the Indian meal moth. From egg to adult, the elapsed time averages 88 days. In the summer, the incubation period is about 9 days, larvae develop for 69 days, and the pupal period lasts 10 days. Adults live about 9 days and lay eggs for about 6 days. Their egg production varies from 63 to 200 but averages 128. These moths pass the winter as larvae

"In western North America the driedfruit moth, Vitula serratilineella Ragonot, is a pest of stored raisins, prunes, dried apple and other dried fruit product. It is distiguished by... lighter colored forewings and nearly white (not brownish) hindwings. In eastern North America a closely related species, Vitula edmandsii (Packard), has brownish hindwings. It invades beehives but is not known to be a true pest of stored-products. Some authorities consider V. edmandsii and V. serratilineella a single species, with a western subspecies V. edmandsii serratilineella. Others retain the division between eastern and western species."

[Alan R. Olsen, Fundamentals of Microanalytical Entomology]

Vitula serratilineella is a western species. See "Remarks" above.

Packard, A. S. 1865: The humble bees of New England and their parasites; with notices of a new species of Anthophorabia, and a new genus of Proctotrupidae. Proceedings of the Essex Institute. 4(6): 120; pl. 3 figs 2, 2a, 2b.