Wax moth damage to poly

[boywonder]

Thought I'd share this as a salutary tale.

Normally I fumigate boxes with acetic in autumn to combat wax moth (pre-storage). On occasion, I have frozen frames, and have also winged it. In all cases, I put sheets of newspaper between stacked boxes. Happy to give all tactics a try.

Last year, at my out-apiary, I decided not to fumigate, but to store the supers wet (supposedly a good idea). They were stored in an outbuilding where I might also normally have expected the temperatures to 'do for' any eggs/larvae over winter.

Anyhow, lesson learned. See below. I pulled out most of the (living) larvae in early spring, and these have since been back on strong hives, but the battle is lost, methinks. What a mess!

 

[pargyle]

Give them a blast with a suphur burn to make sure everything in there is dead .. then skim the holes with either car body filler or polyfilla - both work. Not beyond repair yet.

 

[Antipodes]

Thought I'd share this as a salutary tale.

Normally I fumigate boxes with acetic in autumn to combat wax moth (pre-storage). On occasion, I have frozen frames, and have also winged it. In all cases, I put sheets of newspaper between stacked boxes. Happy to give all tactics a try.

Last year, at my out-apiary, I decided not to fumigate, but to store the supers wet (supposedly a good idea). They were stored in an outbuilding where I might also normally have expected the temperatures to 'do for' any eggs/larvae over winter.

Anyhow, lesson learned. See below. I pulled out most of the (living) larvae in early spring, and these have since been back on strong hives, but the battle is lost, methinks. What a mess!

I see the damage to the polystyrene, but what happened to the wet frames in the supers? Were they ok?

 

[Garry R]

Wax moth is a real pain if you get an attack. I store my frames wet in an old freez) er (one freezer works the other doesn't so the super frames get wrapped in a sheet of newspaper two per sheet, and when filled froen for 48 hours plus. Move them to the non working freezer and put the rest in paper in the working one. The supers get a blast of Cillit Bang black mould remover and are stacked empty for the winter. Seems a bit of a faff but works OK. Only had one attack in a super and did the pull out the larvae and Cillit bang and fill trick. On one small attack I was lucky and they attacked the non-frame resting side and I glued a piece of very thin ply over the whole end without losing frame space. As Pargyle says not lost yet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Thought I'd share this as a salutary tale.

Heavens! I've stored my supers wet in an outside shed every winter for 15 years and never had waxmoth.

 

[The Poot]

I’ve found no wax moth damage to supers stored wet, unless they had brood raised in them. Then the damage has been limited to the brooded area. It’s a reason I will never go brood and a half again!

 

[boywonder]

I see the damage to the polystyrene, but what happened to the wet frames in the supers? Were they ok?

The frames were salvagable, believe it or not. The bees have since patched up most, if not all mess. In terms of wax damage, I have experienced worse. Maybe that is as a consequence of storing them wet ??

Previous hive-part damage I have had has been in wooden boxes, though, where, in the main, the damage just taken the form of 'scooping' into the wood. With the poly, though the larvae are burrowing straight into the material.

Holey - as you can see

 

[boywonder]

I’ve found no wax moth damage to supers stored wet, unless they had brood raised in them. Then the damage has been limited to the brooded area. It’s a reason I will never go brood and a half again!

Likewise. I run mainly 14*12, so generally never have brood in the supers, but all my previous attacks have been in supers which (for whatever reason) have hosted brood.

Late last year, though, they seem to have infested everywhere. A bad do.

I've even seen frass, trails and bald brood this year in the brood area of very strong colonies which you would expect to have got on top of any infestation - so I've clearly been the victim of a bad attack, but I think the corner is being turned now. I will take the advice of @pargyle and sulphur-fumigate and fill the boxes that are in this state.

It's just annoying

 

[alancooper]

Thought I'd share this as a salutary tale.

Normally I fumigate boxes with acetic in autumn to combat wax moth (pre-storage). On occasion, I have frozen frames, and have also winged it. In all cases, I put sheets of newspaper between stacked boxes. Happy to give all tactics a try.

Last year, at my out-apiary, I decided not to fumigate, but to store the supers wet (supposedly a good idea). They were stored in an outbuilding where I might also normally have expected the temperatures to 'do for' any eggs/larvae over winter.

Anyhow, lesson learned. See below. I pulled out most of the (living) larvae in early spring, and these have since been back on strong hives, but the battle is lost, methinks. What a mess!

Which wax moth is it? Small or large? I get occasional small - but hardly a problem and no poly damage.

 

[Antipodes]

Likewise. I run mainly 14*12, so generally never have brood in the supers, but all my previous attacks have been in supers which (for whatever reason) have hosted brood.

Late last year, though, they seem to have infested everywhere. A bad do.

I've even seen frass, trails and bald brood this year in the brood area of very strong colonies which you would expect to have got on top of any infestation - so I've clearly been the victim of a bad attack, but I think the corner is being turned now. I will take the advice of @pargyle and sulphur-fumigate and fill the boxes that are in this state.

It's just annoying

Yes, it wouldn't be too much fun with damage like that.

 

[pargyle]

I store my supers wet ... as I run without queen excluders there will have, occasionally, had brood in them. I store them in a couple of Keter storage containers outside but before I store them they get treated with a sulphur burn (a stack of 5 or 6 supers with a brood box on top, set the sulphur burner going in an empty brood box on top of the stack with a solid timber crownboard on top). If I have time I also give the frames a blast with Bacillus thuringiensis as this will stop any grubs developing.

For the last 6 years this has been my goto routine and I haven't experienced any extensive wax moth damage. The odd trail on occasions (very rarely) that has clearly been stopped by the Bacillus - but nothing to worry about.

I've had a poly nuc completely destroyed (well beyond repair) by wax moth - stored over winter with brood frames in it and it got missed for treatment. The damage was so bad - the holes were right the way through to the outside in some case and the inside of the box was basically polystyrene dust. The whole thing was tip fodder ... I said then never again - frames and boxes are just too valuable to allow something that is preventable.

 

[pargyle]

Heavens! I've stored my supers wet in an outside shed every winter for 15 years and never had waxmoth.

You are really lucky - we are in an area where there is an abundance of both lesser and greater wax moths - I regularly come across the moths around the hives (and kill them if I can !)

 

[The Poot]

You are really lucky - we are in an area where there is an abundance of both lesser and greater wax moths - I regularly come across the moths around the hives (and kill them if I can !)

Oops….I sense a “value to the wider environment” argument on the way……

 

[Swarm]

You are really lucky - we are in an area where there is an abundance of both lesser and greater wax moths - I regularly come across the moths around the hives (and kill them if I can !)

I find wax moths regularly, hiding under the overhanging part of the roofs, saw four Lesser type yesterday *. Like Boywonder, I have seen large colonies who seem to tolerate them. The frames don't need to be brooded either, any cells of pollen will also attract attention.

* Four less now

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Heavens! I've stored my supers wet in an outside shed every winter for 15 years and never had waxmoth.

Same here - and there is an abundance of waxmoth, both greater and lesser here.

 

[jimmiestan]

Heavens! I've stored my supers wet in an outside shed every winter for 15 years and never had waxmoth.

I'm afraid I don't really understand the term "supers stored wet" Would you clarify, please?

 

[JamezF]

I'm afraid I don't really understand the term "supers stored wet" Would you clarify, please?

"As extracted", or "not given back to the bees to clean up".

James

 

[jimmiestan]

"As extracted", or "not given back to the bees to clean up".

James

Thanks James, much as we thought! [doh!]

 

[fian]

Regardless of leaving them dry or wet, for me the best way is to place them in a column with eucalyptus leaves both at the bottom and at the top (some supers without frames serve to contain the material) and wrap them with plastic film.

 

[JamezF]

any cells of pollen will also attract attention

That's consistent with my experience too.

James