Kingdom Animalia Family Pyralidae Genus Vitula Order Butterflies and moths | Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | |
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Similar Butterflies and moths, Pima boisduvaliella, Phycitodes lacteella, Pyla fusca, Phycitodes | ||
Vitula edmandsii, the American wax moth, dried-fruit moth or dried fruit moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus Vitula. It was described by Packard in 1865. It is found in Germany, Denmark and Fennoscandia, as well Great Britain and eastern North America. The beehive honey moth (ssp. serratilineella), which is found in western North America, is either treated as a full species or as a subspecies of Vitula edmandsii.
The wingspan is 20–25 mm. Adults have a distinctive blue-grey ground colour, with a slight rosy suffusion with blackish markings.
The larvae of subspecies serratilineella are a pest of stored raisins, prunes, dried apple and other dried fruit product. Larvae of ssp. edmandsii invade beehives but are not known to be a true pest of stored-products. The species overwinters in the larval stage.