Wax worms/Lesser Beemoth

[ausar318]

Just this morning, I had three of my wax worms hatch into moths, and I noticed that they couldn’t fly. They have fully developed wings, but no matter how hard they flap them, they cannot leave the ground. Is this normal?

 

[Aristalochia]

I havent raised these yet, but lepidoptera often cant fly when reared on artificial diets lacking in omega-3 fatty acids. If you dont get a better answer, try tossing some flaxseed into their food mix

 

[hibiscusmile]

I use real honey and beewax in my mixes and mine fly, not sure if diet is problem of yours, but as they first hatch

they do need time to dry, be happy they dont fly!

 

[agent A]

I use real honey and beewax in my mixes and mine fly, not sure if diet is problem of yours, but as they first hatch

they do need time to dry, be happy they dont fly!

i used real honeycomb and old beehive material (campus beekeepers r a perk) and still produced nonflying adults

i have a few hypotheses as to why this is:

1: heavy inbreeding. it wouldnt be the first time inbreeding rendered a lep incapable of flight

2: wax moths can live the whole life cycle in a hive. if they get too crowded, females can leave the hive and oviposit on flowers in hopes that worker bees from other colonies will pick up the hatchlings. the muscles associated with flight r costly, so if u rear waxworms at low densities dont be surprised to see them invest energy into more eggs instead of flight