Hi all
Regarding whether wax moths (Galleria mellonella, etc.) migrate or not, I have been unable to find a single reference to such a phenomenon. Absence of proof is not proof -- but, I found a thesis titled "Long-distance migration in butterflies and moths: a cross-species review," and she makes no mention of these moths. Between the scenarios of moths wintering over, and of migrating unnoticed, Occam would go with the simpler, that they were here all along. 

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> This review concerns the long-distance migration of a particular order of insects in which migratory behaviour is widespread: the Lepidoptera, that includes butterflies and moths. In moths, migratory species are most common in the Sphingidae and Noctuidae families (Williams, 1957). 

> Frequently observed migratory moth species are the Silver-Y moth (Autographa gamma), the Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), the Hummingbird Hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) and the Black Cutworm moth (Agrotis ipsilon) (Dutch Butterfly Conservation Website).

> The economic interests are also very significant, since migratory Lepidopterans are often agricultural pest species. For example, caterpillars of the Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) feed on important crop species, i.e. cruciferous plants such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, and management of this species was estimated to cost one billion US dollars per year in 1993 ...

Vervloet, A. M. (2012). Long-distance migration in butterflies and moths: a cross-species review.
Department of Behavioural Biology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
Copyright © 2012 Athena Vervloet

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