I would burn the wax moth frames & scorch the boxes - wax moth frazz is gross.
The eggs can be in crevices and any open joints in the hive walls and they are remarkably resilient little beggars. You can save the frames if you are inclined. Scrape out the wax ... you can recover some wax though not a lot from brood frames. Then put the scraped out frames back in the box and give them and the box a sulphur burn.. and another about 10 days later to be certain. Sulphur burn cost is pennies and is very effective. Frames are expensive to replace and time consuming to make up. I'm a bit too mean to consign them to the bonfire if they are still serviceable.
Regret to report that they will lay anywhere in wood or poly; wood is usually surface and cocoons can be scraped out, but in poly they burrow deep and sometimes through the wall; winter job to haul out the cocoons with a wire hook (water jet helps) and repair the worst with P38.
I am using seven year old dipel. I would imagine it is useless. We need someone to buy a £50 pot and divide it into £5 packs. I would buy a pack but not at £50. Useful money raiser for someone!
Those boxes are rotated out and left for 1 to 2 seasons before reuse. I've never seen wax moth larvae inside upon reuse due to them being left empty.
Who runs the reserve?
Surprised that you still have colonies on site; most reserves do not permit honey bees due to the risk of forage competition for the other 260 species of bee and all other pollinators.
That works, but is the luxury option and relies on having plenty of other boxes.
we have a max of 4 hives and a Bee house, a small shed, for education ourposes, the manager installed 80 tons of chalk and made a Chalk Wildflower Meadow for them, I have a 10 year old helper he attends a kids Beekeeping class for past 3 years in Croyden, and passes annual exams with 100%. We have several species of Bumble Bees, 1 nesting under the office, another nested at the base of a cob lined fire pit we dug, so the fires are now just outside the compound, or in a large washing machine drum, outside the Meadow is a large standing dead wood trunk occupied by the Scissor Bee, in our regualr transect several solitary Bees are noted
I think you can kill all stages of wax moth by freezing for 48 hours, but do scorch the boxes. I agree with the soapy water for dispatching the wasps, but finding their nests is difficult. If you do, you can soak a rag with petrol and put it over the entrance at night, but using pesticides is not a good idea as other species will also be affected.
The gardener at one of my clients is still using 7 year old DiPel and says it still seems to be working.I am using seven year old dipel. I would imagine it is useless. We need someone to buy a £50 pot and divide it into £5 packs. I would buy a pack but not at £50. Useful money raiser for someone!
I have a 4 year-old; will give it a try.
i will carry on using it then, Can't do any harm!
I have a tub that's much older, I stopped using it years ago. You can buy small amounts through online sellers so no need to worry about being out of date, a gram per litre will treat ten supers so easier to buy a few grams than a whole tub.
