24/6/09: Bee Moth at Barnehurst window

For the second night running I've had a male Bee Moth (Aphomia sociella) at the lounge window. The larvae feed on the comb inside bee and wasp nests, and are said to eat the grubs when other food runs out, an unusual case of carnivorous behaviour amongst the Lepidoptera.


It took a long time because I wasn't sure where to start looking, but I eventually identified this specimen by working my way through the images at UKMoths - http://ukmoths.org.uk/index.php

Not the greatest photo here, but then it was taken through the side of a jam-jar with a mobile phone cam .............