Re-hiving and wax moth

[Popparand]

"Rescued" a hive and colony last night that has been totally neglected and infested with small wax moth. They worked their way down through 4 supers and are now in the brood box. The hive is now in my back garden, well away from the original site.

I haven't opened the bb itself but I can see there is new wild comb in there. I have changed the floor. The old one was rotten and full of cr*p.

I am proposing to carefully prise off the QE and remove the old frames one by one, making sure there are no bees/brood on them. Then transfer the wild comb onto a new frame without foundation, plus hopefully with brood and Q into a new bb with some frames of stores.

So the plan is to relovate the colony into a new hive and then kill off the wax moth left in the old boxes. I guess the risk is to lose the Q and/or the whole lot might abscond.

Any comments or advice gratefully received.

 

[enrico]

It's a suck it and see situation. When you open the brood box you will just have to decide what to do as necessary!
E

 

[MerryBee]

It might be easier to put a new brood box with frames and foundation above the old one. Then wait until the bees and queen move up into it, and put on a QE between the boxes ensuring the queen is upstairs. After 3 weeks when all the brood in the lower box has emerged you can take it away and decide if any of it is worth saving.