Vitula edmandsii, the American wax moth or dried fruit moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus Vitula. It is found in eastern North America.Vitula edmandsii at Moth Photographers Group It was described by Packard in 1865 who mentions early records from the USA, specifically in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Bridgeport, Connecticut - the latter where the larvae were first found in bee's nests.
In the past, some taxonomists have referred to the beehive honey moth as part of the same group, those at times claimed to be a subspecies Vitula edmandsii serratilineella Packard, 1887. Those others are instead only found in western North AmericaVitula serratilineella at Moth Photographers Group, but also are found Central Europe (e.g. Germany, Denmark and Fennoscandia, where older records may list it as Vitula edmandsii Fauna Europaea (Archived, pre 2016)
When any are referred to by the common name dried fruit moth or dried-fruit moth, there may be further confusion with Cadra calidella, another "dried fruit moth".
The wingspan is 20–25 mm (after Packard, 1865). The species has brownish hindwings. It invades beehives but is not known to be a true pest of stored-products.
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External links Lepiforum.de