In North America, the bee moth has been spotted in various states such as California, Utah, New York, Virginia, and Connecticut.

They begin by spinning a silk around themselves for protection and then proceed to feed on the surrounding environment including the pollen and honey within the nest, stored food, and meconia.

[1][3] Female Aphomia sociella have been known to lay eggs in a wide variety of bumble bee, hornet, and wasp nests including the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata), the common aerial yellowjacket (D. arenaria), the German wasp (Vespula germanica), and the buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris).

[4][3] If perturbed or threatened, an adult bee moth will fall to the ground and pretend to be dead by lying on its back in the exact form in which it landed.

The two compounds hexan-1-ol and TMPD-one serve to boost the strength of the TMPD-ol which is shown to cause males to begin their ultrasonic signaling and proceed in the courtship process.

The honeycombs that bee moth larvae feed on is shown to contain a fungus called Aspergillus ochraceus which is known to produce mellein.

ochraceus fungus in the intestines of bee moth larvae which suggests that the sex pheromone of mellein is biosynthesized by a microorganism.

At the same time the males will also release their sex pheromones which has a floral odor that triggers a flying or walking response in females.

If a competing male is introduced into the territory of a bee moth that is in the process of courting, the resident is shown to approach and even attack the intruder.

The ultrasonic signals produced by Aphomia sociella males consist of short chirps which are separated by random periods of silence.

[5] This moth has been described as a new species several times, which has yielded a considerable number of alternate scientific names which are all invalid as junior synonyms nowadays:[8]