wax moths

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hedgerow pete

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I was going through the bee shed studio product areas today and found some wax moths,

I will have to go through all the hives to see what is were with the little monsters .

what is the modern way of treating for wax moth as my old method is a small pair of tweasers kept to hand when going through the frames.

who uses what and why and what would the costs be aswell, and is there any combination problems with any other treatments as well
 
Without bees - you can use sulphur strips or 80% acetic acid to clear wax moth. Acetic acid also gets rid of Nosema.
Ensure that you know what you're doing - use precautions - both are nasty.
 
Putting the frames into a freezer kills them.
 
I read somewhere of a farmer who used to fire a shootgun and the shock wave killed the moths...
 
For pictures google "wax moth" and there are four very good ones that show all you might reasonably want at a first glance, just on the search results page.

Wax moth are the natural scavengers that clean up old abandoned comb as the hive moves around in a feral situation.

A strong colony will keep WM at bay, but a weak colony can suffer.
 
Hi Peter, was reading about this yesterday. So thought I would replicate that section here in the hopes that it may help. After seeing the various photos in the book about Wax Moth I would be devastated if it happened to me. Good Luck.

Lifted straight from the pages of "A practical manual of Beekeeping - David Cramp" as recommended on here:

Protecting against Wax Moth.

The only protection against wax moth is to keep your colonies strong and healthy. If the colony is failing, consider uniting it with another one (after checking it has no disease). Protecting stored comb is difficult. Wax moths wont usually infest clean comb that has no pollen or other debris in it, and they never (in my experience) attack foundation. They need used comb that has ingredients other than wax in it - they will attack, for example, comb with honey in it, or comb containing pollen, brood, old brood remains, cacoons and so on.

Stored comb.

If you are storing comb, spray them with Bacillus thuringiensis. This bacterium can be purchased from bee supply stores and, when mixed with water and poured into a hand garden sprayer, can be sprayed easily onto the combs surface. The bacterium will protect the comb without fail and wont contaminate anything except the wax moth larvae. This treatment usually lasts throughout the winter. It is quite a task if you have thousands of combs to treat but, for the small producer, it is very cost effective.

Freezing combs kills all stages of the pest. When you store comb over the winter in a shad, keep the boxes in a cool, well ventilated place with a spacer between them to let in light: Wax moths shy away from light.

In colder climates you can store your supers on top of your hives with a mat or escape board between them. This will allow limited bee access but will keep the supers cold.

Whatever you read elsewhere, don't use PDP (para-dichlor-benzine) crystals. They work, but have been shown to be carcinogenic. Remember, beeswax is a chemical sponge that will soak up just about anything. Its best not to fumigate combs for the same reason. It will contaminate the honey if you try and use the crystals on honeycomb.

Stored Pollen and Propolis

Stored pollen and propolis that has been harvested will also be attacked by wax moth, and for this reason should be sealed tightly in storage. Pollen traps placed on your hives should be emptied at least twice weekly. I well remember selling what I thought was a barrel of propolis to a buyer who later found he had bought a barrel of maggots.

Remember that, if you do find moth damage in your hives, look for the reason why the moths have managed to cause this damage. It could be because of disease.
 
For pictures google "wax moth" and there are four very good ones that show all you might reasonably want at a first glance, just on the search results page.

Wax moth are the natural scavengers that clean up old abandoned comb as the hive moves around in a feral situation.

A strong colony will keep WM at bay, but a weak colony can suffer.

I spotted a larvae on the edge of the box yesterday I presume it had been turfed out. Will the bees keep strong over winter to keep doing this?
 
Opened my strongest hive and found a wax moth larva on the top of the super and a small amount of silk.

It did a runner and my bees were not happy, so I left them to it as there was storm in the air.

Had a quick look though the super and could see no silk nor in the brood I was able to get into. Could this be one that managed to get by the colony (very strong)? It is mature and was probably bout to pupate, so I will get it next time.
 

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