Wax moths and polynucs.

[Andy Poole]

Hi all,
I had left a polynuc with frames in the garage from a failed colony for a couple of months (yes should have sorted sooner)! When I went to clean it out noticed that it was chocked full of wax moth in all stages that had chomped through the polystyrene, at some points right through! Has anyone else had this issue? Think I will stick with my home made ply nucs from now on! Andy

 

[Erichalfbee]

Hi all,
I had left a polynuc with frames in the garage from a failed colony for a couple of months (yes should have sorted sooner)! When I went to clean it out noticed that it was chocked full of wax moth in all stages that had chomped through the polystyrene, at some points right through! Has anyone else had this issue? Think I will stick with my home made ply nucs from now on! Andy

Would the wax moth not have wrecked ply boxes too?

 

[Swarm]

Nope. The damage they can do to a poly box is quite frightening. Ply is tough stuff but even with Cedar there is much less damage.

 

[Biodlaren]

I have only polystyrene boxes. At some points I have had problems with wax moth, but I have never seen them damage my boxes. Do you have any pictures?

 

[Andy Poole]

I have only polystyrene boxes. At some points I have had problems with wax moth, but I have never seen them damage my boxes. Do you have any pictures?

Sorry I should have done as it was quite dramatic. So bad in fact after cleaning
out as best as I could it went down the tip. Where the super fitted to the nuc body there were holes all around and as I scraped off the cacoons these has bored right in making it next to impossible to remove them.

 

[Swarm]

I dug out anything that might have been deep in the tunnel with a small screw driver, fill the holes with filler. I had no trouble with wax moth until a few years ago, nowadays it's a different story, had a greater wax moth tucked under a roof today.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I dug out anything that might have been deep in the tunnel with a small screw driver, fill the holes with filler. I had no trouble with wax moth until a few years ago, nowadays it's a different story, had a greater wax moth tucked under a roof today.

Yes spotted one today too on the crown board when I took the roof off. Stan just launched it in to the air....

 

[Swarm]

"Strong colonies will sort out wax moth".
It's surprising how many just tolerate them!

 

[Erichalfbee]

"Strong colonies will sort out wax moth".
It's surprising how many just tolerate them!

Yes. All mine are in good nick

 

[DaveS]

Hi all,
I had left a polynuc with frames in the garage from a failed colony for a couple of months (yes should have sorted sooner)! When I went to clean it out noticed that it was chocked full of wax moth in all stages that had chomped through the polystyrene, at some points right through! Has anyone else had this issue? Think I will stick with my home made ply nucs from now on! Andy

I had the same problem last year - left a poly nuc with frames it - the wax moth went to town burying themselves in the poly. The damage was too great - I ended up putting the nuc box in the skip. I filled some of the holes in the roof and eke.

It was really surprising how much damage they can do and getting the larva out of the burrows was impossible.

 

[pargyle]

Yes ... I had one Nuc with frames in store a couple of years ago completely destroyed by wax moth ... I saved the roof which was the only part that was not beyond economic repair. I was going to try and fill the holes but there were just so many - even the frame landings were demolished. It would have cost more in car body filler than a new poly nuc. It went in the skip, I had a super with drawn but unused frames that got attacked in the same winter ... I still have that and use it as a hive topper filled with insulation ... I'll get some photos tomorrow and let you see what wax moth can do to poly.

 

[Finman]

Yes, large wax moth makes bad injury into poly boxes.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I acquired a woodenhive once that the previous owner had just left behind the shed, drawn frames in situ (brood and supers) and forgotten about, the greater waxmoths had had a field day and although the larvae hadn't burrowed through the wood all of the inside surfaces were deeply furrowed where they had made a damn good try at it.

 

[pargyle]

Yes ... I had one Nuc with frames in store a couple of years ago completely destroyed by wax moth ... I saved the roof which was the only part that was not beyond economic repair. I was going to try and fill the holes but there were just so many - even the frame landings were demolished. It would have cost more in car body filler than a new poly nuc. It went in the skip, I had a super with drawn but unused frames that got attacked in the same winter ... I still have that and use it as a hive topper filled with insulation ... I'll get some photos tomorrow and let you see what wax moth can do to poly.

This was the underside of the roof of the Nuc ... they had tunnelled past the crown board and you can see where they burrowed into the underside of the roof... horrible fat little grubs that are the devils work to fish out from the burrows. As I said, the rest of the nuc box was just one mess of holes and burrows and poly dust/webs and dead wax moths that could not escape after they had pupated and emerged. Disgusting mess.