A bit of good news for a change

[Onge]

Hi all

Just letting you know, I used the sulphur candle method for my drawn comb this year.

With the suppers wet from extraction.

I had to move one of my stacks of frames toady and had to take the stack apart.

Looked through the frames and they are perfect and still smell sweet.

So thats thumbs up for sulphur so far

 

[grizzly]

I used the sulphur strips last year, they seemed to do the trick, this year i have relied upon the temperatures to keep out the nasties.

 

[Hombre]

Could we fall prey as the weather warms up before the middle of March say or do the waxmoth not breed until later?

 

[Somerford]

I'd be interested to learn more about the lifecycle of the wax moth etc.

Could I simply leave an 'Insect-o-cutor' on over the winter intead ?
when do they start becoming active ?

is there a way of baiting a trap to prevent them ?
regards

S

 

[Bcrazy]

Life cycle of wax moth.

http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/waxmothlifecycle.html

Regards;

 

[plumber]

Bcrazy

can you recommend a good book for a novice with a new basic microscope suitable for the bee keeper.

regards
mik

 

[grizzly]

Good Link Bcrazy, theres an awful lot of info on that website.

Personally i am more concerned about the hives than the stored supers, particularly around the time of the first full inspection, while exciting there is an element of concern over what might be discovered, has anything taken advantage of the clusters warmth, and also of the bees lack of policing and movement around the frames.

Hopefully the extreme cold this year has done some good on the inside too.

 

[oliver90owner]

Onge,

You probably started on an 'up' with wet supers.

The weather has been on our side so far since before Christmas

Mine were dry but and have only been candled once. I will be doing them again shortly.

It is not expensive to treat - one super is worth a tenner for foundation without the hassle of fitting it and the bees having to draw the comb. I am not talking of 10 or 11 frames in this context, of course!

Regards, RAB

 

[Somerford]

thanks for the link, BC !!!

regards

S

 

[Bcrazy]

Hi plumber,

Welcome to the world of microscopy, you will find it fascinating.

To answer your question I need to know what type of microscope you have and what you would like to pursue using the microscope?

Is it pollen. anatomy or dissections you would like to carry out?
Give me a little more info and I'll get back to you.

Regards;

 

[plumber]

P M sent

cheers Bcrazy


Mik

 

[The Hyde Ranger]

I'd be interested to learn more about the lifecycle of the wax moth etc.

Could I simply leave an 'Insect-o-cutor' on over the winter intead ?
when do they start becoming active ?

is there a way of baiting a trap to prevent them ?
regards

S

There is simple a trap for wax moths on dave cushman's site also,and is made using a 2L plastic pop bottle, You make a 30mm diameter hole in the side of the bottle just under the shoulder and fill it with 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 cup of sugar (any type), 1 banana peel, and top up with water to about 75% of the volume, tie a loop of cord around the neck and hang near by in the apiary if the hanging loop is opposite the hole it should prevent the ingress of rain water, presumably the moths are attracted to it and drown. It's something I found whilst surfing and have not tried this out, I have not yet got any bees, I will be trying it out when I get some.

 

[oliver90owner]

Could I simply leave an 'Insect-o-cutor' on
There is simple a trap for wax moths

The unfortunate thing is that one waxmoth can lay enough eggs to destroy a lot of comb. The larvae unfortunately don't fly and it's too late to trap the moth after it has left enough eggs to do the damage (or has just hatched from the box you carefully stored away last autumn).

Yes, trap them - but don't rely on it!!

Regards, RAB