Foreword

Honey bees, next to man, are the most wonderful creation of God. There is nothing that a honey bee does, right from the production of sweet honey to the painful sting it inflicts, which is not in one way or another useful for man. The hive of the honey bee is a treasure vault of valuable products that attract mankind and other animals. No wonder then that the bee hive is under attack from pests, parasites, and enemies. The wax moth is one such problem in apiaries. Belonging to the order Lepidoptera of the class Hexapoda, there are two types of wax moth-infesting honey bee colonies the world over; the greater wax moth Galleria melonella and the lesser wax moth Achroia grisella. Old combs, combs in storage and unattended weak colonies are more prone to attacks which can be seen in the form of hard-cocooned pupae on the top of bee frames and anastomosing silken threads of webbing on the surface of the comb. The larvae tunnel through the wax comb, feeding on it and damaging comb and brood in a manner that hinders honey bee life processes ultimately lead to absconding, causing economic loss to the beekeeper. The problem, therefore, needs to be urgently attended and there are chemical, biological, and physical measures for the same. The book addresses all these in a clear and immaculate manner. What is more interesting is the novel concept of utilizing this pest for its more useful activity of plastic degradation. An insect capable of metabolizing complex fatty acids and esters making up beeswax can definitely adapt to digesting similar components that constitute plastic. Whether this is done with the help of gut microbiome as in some cellulose-digesting insects such as termites and cockroaches or by the insect’s own enzymes is the unresolved question. This chapter in the book makes it an interesting reading material. Honey bee lovers, parasitologists, entomologists, naturalists, and environmentalists, will definitely enjoy the book. My good wishes to the author.