Maggots in insulation, wax moths?

[Rory Fields]

As above, I've been using old jumpers from caring shops etc as top insulation, especially around blocks of fondant directly over a QE, mostly pily gives but probably 1/5 wood. Today was just going round topping up fondant and found a wool jumper full of pupal casings (wrong terminology, sorry, v tired!) and with ten or more 2cm long maggots- just wondering if likely to be wax moth living v above reasonably strong colony or another moth, and also if less 'breathable' synthetic blends might be immune from their attentions whilst still filling space around ekes and supers used as ekes to provide insulation bug moreover prevent a proliferation of chaotic brace comb. Have a load of hessian sacks I could use for example but wondered what concensus was. I'm a big fan of top insulation year round so would prefer to be able to persist in a not dissimilar manner, cheers

 

[pargyle]

As above, I've been using old jumpers from caring shops etc as top insulation, especially around blocks of fondant directly over a QE, mostly pily gives but probably 1/5 wood. Today was just going round topping up fondant and found a wool jumper full of pupal casings (wrong terminology, sorry, v tired!) and with ten or more 2cm long maggots- just wondering if likely to be wax moth living v above reasonably strong colony or another moth, and also if less 'breathable' synthetic blends might be immune from their attentions whilst still filling space around ekes and supers used as ekes to provide insulation bug moreover prevent a proliferation of chaotic brace comb. Have a load of hessian sacks I could use for example but wondered what concensus was. I'm a big fan of top insulation year round so would prefer to be able to persist in a not dissimilar manner, cheers

The greater wax moth larvae can be up to 3cms long but in my experience here in the UK they are usually a lot smaller than this, the cocoons are very distinctive -silk like and usually with a lot of frass around them. They would need food and normally will only be found where there is access to beeswax - although the moth could have laid eggs in the autumn and with the warmth above the crownboard have been able to hatch early and grow. Have they got access to the brace comb ? A strong colony will usually deal with them if they get in to the brood box.

If the jumpers you have used are wool then it could be the common clothes moth as they will feed on natural fibres - wool is a favourite - they are usually about 1.5cm when larval. They are different in appearance to wax moth larvae as they have a brown head and tend to carry their cocoon with them.

Whatever they are - I'd get rid. I'd also start doing some skip diving and see if you can find some celotex/kingspan as it's a much better insulator that old wool and you won't get so many unwanted visitor making it home. Youi can cut out space for feeding fondant.

 

[ericbeaumont]

ten or more 2cm long maggots- just wondering if likely to be wax moth

Sound rather large, but photos would help. Can't see WM in wool, but you never know. Are the larvae pinkish? In one apiary I often find plum moth wintering in hive roofs.

 

[Swarm]

Wax moth larvae are a sort of grubby colour with a dark head, pupal casings are quite tough, photos would help. If they are pupating, they don't need to be near the combs and larvae often leave the combs to burrow into poly roofs or sidewalls before pupating so again, quite possible. I've only ever found them burrowed or semi burrowed in divets in wood surfaces and poly and even PIR but I've never used jumpers.
One way to check would be looking into the seams for signs of tell tale webby frass.

 

[Roger.Wilco]

moth could have laid eggs in the autumn and with the warmth above the crownboard have been able to hatch early and grow

leave the combs to burrow into poly roofs or sidewalls before pupating so again, quite possible

Cross-contamination can also occur...

This is a photo I took mid last year - of a brand-new Poly crown-board after unpacking from the cardboard shipping box. No idea how or when the cross-contamination occurred as this Poly crown-board was part of a brand-new hive stack. The cardboard box had been delivered a couple of months before and stored in my garden shed over that time; prior to unpacking. However, as part of the hive stack the location would have been sealed from the environment. When found while unpacking the larvae had expired. In this case there was no webby frass so I can only assume that the larvae had pupated then migrated before the crown-board was packed and shipped.