Drawn comb pulled from a hive at the end of the season is a beekeeper's most valuable asset — and the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) and lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) treat it as a nursery. Adult moths slip into dark, still stacks of supers, lay eggs in the frame joints, and the hatching larvae tunnel through wax and old cocoon silk, leaving webbing and frass that can reduce a box of comb to rubble within weeks.
A single female wax moth can lay 300–600 eggs in her short adult life, and because larvae can survive on beeswax, pollen and old cocoon protein alone, an unprotected stack of supers left in a warm shed can be webbed solid before the following spring.
A stack of drawn honeycomb frames sits in storage between seasons. Set the temperature, ventilation and inspection routine and watch wax moth larvae tunnel through the comb and adult moths patrol the stack in real time.
Larval development is driven by temperature, egg-laying is suppressed by light and airflow, and regular inspections knock the population back before webbing spreads across every frame — the same three levers real beekeepers use.
Drag temperature down to freezing to wipe out an active infestation, raise ventilation/light to deter new egg-laying, and pick an inspection interval. Speed up simulated time and watch comb integrity and larvae counts respond.
A sustained hard freeze below about −7°C for a few hours kills wax moth eggs, larvae, pupae and adults at every life stage — which is why chest freezers are a standard off-season storage tool for drawn comb.