Wax Moth 1:Bin liners 0

[Luminos]

Found a pool of honey today beneath a bag of stored brood frames (from my ex-colony in December)...
When I opened the bag (black bin liner) it was full of wax moth caterpillars and 4 or 5 wax moths what a mess!

I've salvaged 3 frames and given them to one hive in a spare BB below their BB, and hope they clean them up, but the rest were still oozing caterpillars even after blow-torching, so I've given them to the hens.

I've checked my stored drawn comb in supers - also in bin bags - and they are all OK, but I'm not happy to keep them in black bags any longer, is there a better alternative?
My freezer isn't wide enough to fit frames in!

 

[Heather]

I get BIG polythene bags from Bodle Bros. £1 each and can get 5 supers in- and they seal well. It is imperative that there are no gaps. I put an eke on top of the sealed bag to keep secure.

 

[Polyanwood]

I treat with Certan before storing to protect from waxmoth, but am going to start treating with glacial acetic acid instead as it is a lot cheaper.

 

[alanf]

I'm not happy to keep them in black bags any longer, is there a better alternative?

Last time I checked, the pound shop had largish (80x100cm) vacuum seal bags. The ones that you reduce the pressure with a vacuum cleaner. I was planning to try those next winter, not wanting to chance my luck with bin liners and tape again. Advantages are that you can see what's inside, the bags are more robust and reusable and it's obvious if the seal goes.

 

[RoofTops]

I have found even perfect wrapping will not always prevent wax moth damage as the little critters can get in there before you add the wrapping. However, I have used giant cling film in the past, the sort of stuff used for wrapping pallets and it was pretty effective - but leaving them outside so the frost can get at them seems the best solution for me.

 

[george]

I agree , either bin bags or clingy does the job but you have to get everything chilled down far enough to kill any moth or larvae present .

G

 

[enrico]

since I have been storing mine in a pitch black room with NO LIGHT infiltration at all I have not had any problem with wax moth. I wonder if they need at least some light to live???? They are just stacked in this room with no wrapping at all.
E

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Let the bees clean them up.
Place on plywood, mesh between every 2 or 3 supers - to limit movement of moth if they do get in. Mesh on top held in place by a queen excluder to allow ventillation.

Sulphur strips or Acetic Acid treatment to kill nasties.

 

[Heather]

After bees licked them out the supers go into a chest freezer for 3 days then into the bags to store.

 

[tonybloke]

after the bees clean my extracted supers I stack them in the greenhouse, on plywood, and treat with sulphur. cover with a solid crownboard.

 

[Luminos]

Many thanks for all the suggestions
Heather - I've had a look at Bodle's website but they don't do mail order. Also, my freezer isn't wide enough to put frames in, thanks anyway
Alanf - no pound shops here, but I can look around for the type of vacuum bag. (Yes, why don't they make see through bin bags!?)
Rooftops - I think the wax moths may (may) have eaten through the bin liner to get in, it was full of tiny holes.

I think I will go with storing them outside (greenhouse, summerhouse) with plywood and mesh, as some of you suggested; in the dark if I can - (the ones in the cellar have been fine); and use Certan if I can be sure it won't affect anything else (we have a few overwintering butterflies in the places I have in mind to store the frames outside).

Wow, those wax moths really mess things up...

 

[melon]

Luminos, is your cellar very dry? I would love to store things in our cellar, but very damp down there. I once put plastic honey buckets in there, and they got mould on them, as do the labels of wine bottles. I just imagine if I put supers down there, that they'd come up all mouldy too.
I put supers on a piece of wood, and treat with sulpur strips, but not as often as once a month as suggested. A roof/piece of wood on top. They are left out in a shed, although if we get some good frosty weather, I might move them out. Touch wood, I haven't had a problem with wax moth in supers, yet! The sulpur gas does seem to seep out a bit into the room, so could kill any other hibernating beasties, but it is such a pain, trying to tape all the joins up.

 

[Phil280]

Hi there.

I use sulphur strips - and after that tower the supers with top and bottom ventilation (mesh). You then have a chimney effect that the moth does not like even if one did manage to get in.

Greets
Phil

 

[Luminos]

I've just received my copy of Beecraft and, coincidentally, it has a very helpful article on how to deal with both types of Wax Moth!

Melon - the cellar is a bit more on the damp side than dry, it has to be said - but the other bits of kit were OK down there. It's dark so I think Enrico's right about the moths preferring the light.
My honey buckets are there and they're fine; wine bottles don't stay down there long enough to get mould on their labels
But the cellar's not really big enough to house all the bee stuff in winter.
I shall have to move OH's tools & machinery out, clearly...

Phil280 - I think my mentor uses sulphur, but I'm a bit worried about what else it might kill?

 

[Luminos]

Well as I said, I put the unsalvageable frames in the chicken run for them to have the wax moth caterpillars.
Not a good idea...evening-time when I went to shut the hen in (only 2 hens, and one of those is broody), it seemed the whole apiary had moved to the chicken run!
And the poor hen was too afraid of them to go in to roost.

So, had to get my beesuit on and remove the frames to nearer the apiary so poor Nimbus could get to bed...shan't be doing that again with frames

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

 

[Phil280]

Hi there.

If you stand the bottom super on a board (ply or whatever you have that is even) in the garden so that there is practically no gap, then stack the other supers on top and place some kind of lid on the stack you should be fine.
The top super should have no frames in it to have room for the can with the burning sulphur strip.
You could take an old fruit tin and puncture holes in to the side of it with a nail - at the top end. Find a metal lid to sit on the top. Put a small board on the top frames and stand the can on it. You can also place it on an old plate. Light the sulphur strip - bung it it the can - put on the lid and close the stack of supers.

If the supers don't have a tight fit you may have to seal the cracks with tape - b4 you light the strip.

If you make sure there are as little gaps as possible between supers themselves and the board, hardly any sulphur should ooze out.

Greets
Phil

 

[melon]

Hope Nimbus enjoyed her fill of caterpillars, though, prior to her close encounter with the bees!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I used sulphur strips last winter all was fine but it didn't do the galv runners much good, also one of the supers made by a friend of mine was constructed using galvanised screws - these had all rusted as well. Anyone else noticed this?