Wax Moth - destroy or tolerate ?

[boywonder]

Apologies for shooting from the hip. I have not yet identified as Greater or Lesser Wax Moth...

However, I have just retrieved some supers from storage (dry frames of drawn comb were stored in each super), and noticed silky clumps between some of the frames. Upon lifting the frames from the super, I disturbed some adult moths (not many - about 2 or 3 per super), and was able to observe some limited damage to the comb ... again, nothing major.

I had understood that a healthy colony can deal with wax moth (through housekeeping) ... and, by all accounts, I have two healthy colonies.

I was just about to pop them on, when I had an attack of guilt about my cavalier attitude, and went back to the books ... but I am really still none the wiser.

I would be happy to freeze the frames (but do not have the freezer capacity to freeze the supers themselves), but am absolutely not up for using BT or any other compound (such as acetic).

Basically - what to do ??? ... Can/should I just put them on and let the bees get on with it ? Or should I even go to the other extreme, and destroy ? Thanks.

 

[REDWOOD]

Depending on how many supers you have it might be cheaper to invest in a small freezer than replace frames, you should be able to pick one up for less than £100 or try gumtree

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Why do you have a reluctance to treat or fumigate?

 

[beeno]

Hi boywonder,
Batch freeze the frames for 24hrs that kills all stages of Wax Moth and keep separate from unfrozen frames. Torch boxes and make sure the flame get to all little crevices. Because of the weather the frames may remain unoccupied for some days, so this way you have got no worries.

 

[Dadnlad]

Flowers of sulphur does the trick autumn onwards, but if the supers are likely being pressed into service soon (and on strong hives) I would squish what can be seen then let the bees kill anything else

 

[Goran]

Baits for hornets and wasps, surprisingly work as wax moth baits.. Surprisingly unbelievable cheap "orange fruit syrup" ( it is on label written orange, but I am sure that is mostly chemical replacement for orange flavour) - most interesting for wax moths.
More "problems" with wax moth are in spring and in late summer when bee numbers are smaller. But when colonies are strong.. what wax moths?
I never had big problems with wax moths in colonies, I leave to bees to sort it..
On frames in storage.. other story..

 

[Plenty of honey]

Baits for hornets and wasps, surprisingly work as wax moth baits.. Surprisingly unbelievable cheap "orange fruit syrup" ( it is on label written orange, but I am sure that is mostly chemical replacement for orange flavour) - most interesting for wax moths.
More "problems" with wax moth are in spring and in late summer when bee numbers are smaller. But when colonies are strong.. what wax moths?
I never had big problems with wax moths in colonies, I leave to bees to sort it..
On frames in storage.. other story..

Ha, glad you mentioned this Goran, Well I like to have Asian Hornet traps around my apiaries, however i do get a few common hornets in the traps (see recent post on hornets and discussion) but funnily enough the only other things i seem to attract are wax moth and flies, so wax moth numbers are being lowered as well.
Can this be a bad thing? i think not!

 

[misterbee82]

I was told wax moths hate sun light. If your hive is in a sunny area you're less likely to have problems with them.

 

[Goran]

I was told wax moths hate sun light. If your hive is in a sunny area you're less likely to have problems with them.

Err.. Not the case in my experience.. I have one apiary shaded and other sunny, saw no difference.. yet..
But I believe the moths are mostly nocturnal, so the wax moths? And that way, the sunlight isn't the issue?

 

[Cazza]

If it was me and I felt the colonies were strong and the infestation minor, I'd put the supers on and let the bees sort them out......which they will.
Cazza

 

[BeeJayBee]

I was told wax moths hate sun light.

True, same as most moths, which is why they like to live inside a hive.

 

[Iceman]

Depending on how many supers you have it might be cheaper to invest in a small freezer than replace frames, you should be able to pick one up for less than £100 or try gumtree

Sigh!....... just added 'freezer' to the list of equipment needed.