This species is cosmopolitan now, expected worldwide wherever honey bees occur. It is the only member of its genus in North America.
According to BugGuide: "Larvae feed on beeswax, dried apples and other fruits, crude sugar, pollen, cast skins of larval bees, and dead insects... A pest of unprotected honey bee combs in weakened colonies or neglected hives." BugGuide also cites University of Georgia: "As the larvae chew through the comb, they spin a silk-lined tunnel through the cell walls and over the face of the comb. These silk threads can tether emerging bees by their abdomens to their cells and they die of starvation because they are unable to escape from their cell. This phenomenon is termed galleriasis."
Humans also use this species for fishing bait.
There are 33 records in the project database.
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