62.005 BF1426 – Lesser Wax Moth – Achroia grisella – (Fabricius, 1794)
Adult Micro: CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
– click for General Verification Guidelines | – click for Specific Verification Guidelines 
– Generally Common / Widespread
– easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.ID pointers: Distinctive oval shaped at rest. Female larger than male. Head a golden yellow. Overall pale shining greyish yellow-brown to forewings, otherwise clean and unmarked.
Distribution: Widely distributed and locally common across the county. On wax in bee hives.
General Comment: None *** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Blue-coded] moths is not displayed/updated in this tab. However, all verified records for this moth are listed in the RECORDS tab below. Selected Images: Long Eaton, Derbyshire – Paul Buxton©
Image Gallery
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 2009 - 2025) | Immatures: (between 1971 - 1971)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
Distribution Map for Achroia grisella
Found 19 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ 14 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 5 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ 14 from 2020 - 2025
↳ 5 from Before 2020
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Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.
NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Achroia grisella
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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however,
the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.
Monthly Records By Year:
Achroia grisella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Monthly Counts By Year:
Achroia grisella
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )
First/Last Recorded Dates: Achroia grisella
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]
Shading shows moth presence between dates
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Recordings By Year: Achroia grisella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Achroia grisella
AGR: 0% | Total % Change: 0%
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Achroia grisella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Achroia grisella
Achroia grisella
Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Achroia grisella – 19 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belper | SK34N | 25/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Evans, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44784918 |
| Belper, Derbyshire | SK34N | 15/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Newcombe, Dave | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44661791 |
| Derby DE | SK33I | 14/08/2025 | 1 | adult | Watson, Adrian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44532564 |
| Derby DE | SK33I | 18/07/2025 | 1 | adult | Watson, Adrian | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC44183946 |
| Midway, Derbys. | SK32A | 30/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Williams, Michael | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC43042326 |
| upper cromford garden | SK25Y | 19/06/2025 | 1 | adult | Ashton, Clive | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC42502627 |
| Markham Vale South Tip | SK47K | 26/06/2024 | 1 | adult | Morris, Sid | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC36697392 |
| Allestree, Derby | SK33P | 21/06/2024 | 1 | adult | Plant, Stephen | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC40161663 |
| Allestree, Derby | SK33P | 21/06/2024 | 1 | adult | Plant, Stephen | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC41084523 |
| Allestree, Derby | SK33P | 10/10/2023 | 1 | adult | Plant, Stephen | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC48420829 |
| Staveley Derbyshire | SK47H | 05/09/2023 | 1 | adult | Morris, Sid | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC32870152 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 02/07/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33498586 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 08/04/2021 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33498070 |
| Woodland Ave | SK43R | 29/07/2020 | 1 | adult | Thorpe, Steve | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC33501763 |
| Main Street, Kings Newton | SK32Y | 07/10/2013 | 1 | Adult | Soar, Will | vc57_irecords_extract | iBRC34675498 |
| Rose Av,Clowne | SK57D | 09/08/2010 | 1 | Adult | D. Hursthouse | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP6E7 |
| Bristol Rd,Ilkeston | SK44R | 06/10/2009 | 1 | Adult | S.L.P. Whiteley | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP06K |
| Bristol Rd,Ilkeston | SK44R | 07/09/2009 | 1 | Adult | S.L.P. Whiteley | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP527 |
| Shardlow Hall, Shardlow, Derby | SK43F | 28/10/1971 | 2 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001CP9UI |