CreatureData

Lesser wax moth

Achroia grisella (Fabricius, 1794)

Status not recordedbutterflies and moths

The lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) is a species in the family Pyralidae, order Lepidoptera.

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Quick facts about the lesser wax moth

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the lesser wax moth live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the lesser wax moth as introduced in 3 countries.

  1. Ireland
  2. South Africa
  3. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the lesser wax moth endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the lesser wax moth classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderLepidoptera
  5. familyPyralidae
  6. genusAchroia
  7. SpeciesAchroia grisella (Fabricius, 1794)

Synonyms Achroea grisella, Achroia aluearia, Achroia alvea, Achroia alvearia, Achroia alveariella, Achroia anticella, Achroia cinerana, Achroia cinereola, Achroia obscurevittella, Acroia grisella, Acroia major, Bombyx cinereola, Galleria aluearia, Galleria alvea, Galleria alvearia, Meliphora alveariella, Meliphora grisella, Pyralis cinerana, Tinea anticella, Tinea grisella

Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • zavíječ malýCzech
  • Gwyfyn Cŵyr BachWelsh
  • Lille voksmølDanish
  • Kleine WachsmotteGerman
  • pikkuvahakoisaFinnish
  • Petite fausse teigneFrench
  • עשנוריר הדונגHebrew
  • Tarma minore della ceraItalian
  • コハチノスツヅリガJapanese
  • liten bivoksmottNorwegian Bokmål
  • Kleine wasmotDutch
  • łaźbiecPolish
  • Mariposa de ceraPortuguese
  • Моль мелкая вощиннаяRussian
  • vijačka úľováSlovak
  • litet vaxmottSwedish
  • Gwyfynod Cŵyr BachWelsh
  • Petite teigne des ruchesFrench
  • עש הדונג הקטןHebrew
  • mindre vaxmottSwedish

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the lesser wax moth

Other species in the same genus Achroia.

CompareLesser wax moth vs Achroia ifranellaLesser wax moth vs Achroia innotata

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the lesser wax moth an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the lesser wax moth as introduced in 3 countries: Ireland, South Africa and United States, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the lesser wax moth?

The lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) belongs to the family Pyralidae in the order Lepidoptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-wax-moth

MLA

“Lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-wax-moth.

BibTeX
@misc{lesser_wax_moth_2026,
  title = {Lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-wax-moth},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}