Wax Moth.

[Margaret Elisabeth]

When I inspected the Corex board the last two inspections I found wax moth larvae and washed it off away from the hive. Today there was nothing but dropped pollen and a little wax with a tiny ringed snail at the side. Aaah must have got lost. The lettuce and turnips are at the outside of the shrub bed.
? ?
Is there a wax moth season ? And when do people in different parts of the British Isles find them to be active?

 

[Tom Bick]

I dont know of an exact season for wax moth but would say they are active at the same times the bees are active.

Wax moth in the hive is not such a problem unless the colony is small and in a large box but then the bees would have other problems to worry about than wax moth. Its stored combs that is vulnerable.

 

[Heather]

Whilst bees there and weather warm wax moth is also.
Freeze for 2 days any frames removed from the hive. In the Spring Bailey exchange if really concerned but a strong colony will sort out themselves.

 

[BeeJayBee]

When I inspected the Corex board the last two inspections I found wax moth larvae and washed it off away from the hive.

If you're leaving the board in place all the time it can become a breeding ground for wax moth.

 

[drstitson]

an OMF is just that.

board out except for specific mite drop monitoring sessions.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

My hive was clear of WML just on the board so I think it may actually have deflected the moth from the hive. The board is in place with a good gap and I take it away and wash it off when it is dirty. surely that is better than detrius building up on the floor /ground under the hive.

 

[itma]

My hive was clear of WML just on the board so I think it may actually have deflected the moth from the hive. The board is in place with a good gap and I take it away and wash it off when it is dirty. surely that is better than detrius building up on the floor /ground under the hive.

No it isn't better!

As BeeJoyful said, its creating a wax moth breeding ground.

As drstitson said, the board should be out except when counting mites. (Even in winter ...)

 

[BeeJayBee]

My hive was clear of WML just on the board so I think it may actually have deflected the moth from the hive. The board is in place with a good gap and I take it away and wash it off when it is dirty. surely that is better than detrius building up on the floor /ground under the hive.

It sounds like a good idea, but I'm sorry to say that it isn't. I've seen what a mess wax moth can make and would hate for it to happen to your hives.

One of the reasons why hive stands have a hollow centre is so that hive debris can fall through the Open Mesh Floor and onto the ground. It doesn't collect in a neat pile, it's scattered by air movement as it falls. The debris is cleared quite quickly by other creatures - worms, ants, earwigs, spiders, frogs and so on. Bees will sometimes scavenge scraps of wax and new wax scales that have dropped through the OMF.

By allowing hive debris to collect close beneath the hive you are more likely to be attracting wax moth to the hive. Adult moths can live for several months. They lay up to about 300 eggs at a time, usually in dark corners or cracks. Eggs hatch within about 5 days, larvae can spend up to five months burrowing and feeding before pupating.

The larvae won't sit there and wait to be washed away, they can scent food and will actively move towards it.

Advice from Beebase https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/beebase/index.cfm?pageid=207

Precis from elsewhere

Wax Moth Treatment
In Colonies
Ensuring strong colonies is the best way to control wax moth in a colony. The comb of weak colonies and colonies without queens can be destroyed in less than one month.
[.. snip ..]
Other things to do:
• keep the hive clean and free of debris – especially the bottom board and in cracks and crevices
• make sure bees can access all parts of the hive – and be able to see off wax moths.​

 

[Arfermo]

You have had the very best advice that anyone could possibly expect - but ignore it if you wish and suffer the potential consequences at your leisure.

 

[psafloyd]

You have had the very best advice that anyone could possibly expect - but ignore it if you wish and suffer the potential consequences at your leisure.

Heed this warning. Wax moth is a right pain in the arse, making a mess of your comb and fouling your honey. It costs you and the bees time and leaving your board in is a waste. You might as well just use solid floors.

 

[Luminos]

Heed this warning. Wax moth is a right pain in the arse, making a mess of your comb and fouling your honey. It costs you and the bees time and leaving your board in is a waste. You might as well just use solid floors.

 

[Polyanwood]

Wax moth is always there, just in most circumstances the bees have it well under control. It is a shame to lose drawn comb to wax moth as this is very useful to the bees, so if you want to store it overwinter, it is worth you freezing frames or treating them with acetic acid or Certan.

I think there is a strong consensus that in Summer the inspection boards should be out.

 

[Tonych224]

A newbie here... How long can you freeze them, I have a spare freezer so I could leave them in until next needed...or once frozen for a couple of days then stored in stack of supers won't the wax moth return??

 

[pargyle]

A newbie here... How long can you freeze them, I have a spare freezer so I could leave them in until next needed...or once frozen for a couple of days then stored in stack of supers won't the wax moth return??

Freezing kills any wax moth eggs etc. When you store them it's important to seal them up so that new infestation can't occur.

 

[Luminos]

A newbie here... How long can you freeze them, I have a spare freezer so I could leave them in until next needed...or once frozen for a couple of days then stored in stack of supers won't the wax moth return??

I was told, 48h to kill wax moth.
I leave mine in the freezer until I need them/run out of space in the freezer...

 

[sandysman]

an OMF is just that.

board out except for specific mite drop monitoring sessions.

+ certain treatments.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Thanks for all your replies, The information on the eggs hatching was very useful. My hive does not go for months without being inspected on the other hand I do try to read the board for info other than Varroa without unnecessary delving into the brood box. Of course as soon as I found the larvae on the board I inspected the whole hive. The board is always the first thing I look at after watching what is going on at the entrance. I am well aware of the general advice on only inserting the board for a drop count. I can also tell if uncapping is going on in the hive, if there are a lot of ants invading, if there is Nosema to any great degree and what pollen is going in that I may not have noticed at the entrance on a short obs. After the info on the egg hatch time I will check the board twice a week in future.
Bee base info says they put their frames through twenty freezers for 48 hours, either this is excessive or the article is a badly written brag about how many freezers they have.