Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: jredburn on April 14, 2012, 01:14:03 pm
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At the last meeting of our local club a fellow stood up and told us how to make a Wax Moth Trap.
Take a two liter plastic bottle and cut a hole in the side just below the neck. Cut the hole about the size of a quarter or 25mm. Pour a cup of water and a cup of vinegar into the bottle, stuff a banana peel into the bottle and put the cap on. Tie a string around the neck and hang the bottle 3 to 5 foot off the ground and within 4 or 5 foot of the hive. The Wax Moths are attracted by the smell and drown after they get inside.
I haven't tried it yet so I cannot confirm how well it works.
Regards
Joe
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Anyone else tried this approach? Wax moths are bad here this year. Winter that wasn't failed to knock them down some. I might give it a try if I can find some 2 liter bottles. We don't drink that stuff.
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With that bait it sounds more like a SHB trap to me.
Scott
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It will also catch (and is very much used as) a yellowjacket trap. I use a touch of apple cider vinegar (with the mother, it's healthier ;) ) with the oil that I put into my beetle jails...I've been thinking about adding just a tad of banana. Banana, vinegar, sugar, and water will catch the moth and yellowjackets...not sure about beetles, though, seems like it would.
Scott, I had a couple of good banana sandwiches for lunch and then went and played with (another) swarm (from my own hives). I then videoed a bunch of young bees that suddenly emerged from my two big hives and started orienting...I (the newbee) thought two more swarms were starting! Thankfully, I called my mentor and he calmed me down. :lol: Anyhow, there wasn't a bee in the cloud of bees I was working in that seemed to mind banana breath. ;)
Ed
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I think I saw my first adult wax moth tonight :(
No, I haven't tried the trap you mention, but I recall a similar formulation mentioned in the past.
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I would like to see some pics of the moth trap if anyone has some.
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One thing I would like to mention, jredburn, is that though your club recommended putting the traps close to your hives that might not be a good idea. The traps will lure in moths from a distance...if the traps are close to your hives the moths may decide they like the hives better. If the trap is placed a distance away from the hives then the moths may not be distracted by and diverted to your hives
The trap is *very* similar to a yellow jacket trap and it is recommended to put those a distance away from the hives. Basically, the idea is to try and keep the local population down rather than trapping the area immediately around hive.
Does that make sense? :)
This also reminds me that I need to refresh my (and add a couple more) traps. ;)
Ed
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The hives are putting out so much scent, I don't think the traps would help bring moths into your area. Moths are already around your hives. They are just looking for a home with no bees. Traps would would fit. Would you put a mouse trap out in the woods or in your house to keep mice out of the house?
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I've used a trap very similar with success.
I use a gallon milk jug. Cut a hole on the side for the moths to get in, not near the top so rain water won't dilute your mixture.
I use a cup of sugar water with the cup of vinegar and part of the banana peel, so I can do three or four traps with one banana.
You can use left over sugar syrup that the bees didn't need or even spoiled sugar syrup.
Put the cap on and tie it in a tree within 10' or so of the hives. Doesn't cost much so more the merrier. The honeybees don't bother them.
If all you have are half gallon jugs just put in half cup of each. Works good near outside lights or even outside a window of a room that you hang out in a lot during the evening. They will definitely reduce the moth population.
The banana, sugar and vinegar produces a gas that suffocates the moths as well as the odor that attracts them.
When you change the stuff out just dump it on your compost pile-more nutrients.
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Hello, I'm very interested in these traps and have two practical questions. 1: How often do you need to change the mixture in the bottle? 2. What surface area will one trap cover? How many hives can be covered with one trap? (OK three questions :))
Thanks in advance for any response. Despite our best efforts, we're still having a lot of problems with these wax moths These traps are ideal for us as the best treatment options are either forbidden for sale or use in hives here in France.
Cheers, all.
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I'm new to the forum. I found you as I googled the formula to make a wax moth trap and found this thread.
Thank you.
I have a couple of observations.
There is usually also a cup of sugar added to the mix.
Once completed, the trap should be hung at least 30' from your hives.
The goal is to attract the moths to your traps - if you place the traps too close to your hives, you risk actually enhancing the attraction of the hives themselves and may exacerbate the problem.
The moths are attracted by the gases given off during the fermentation process. Change once fermentation has stopped.
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Go to page 2 in this section and there is a detailed recipe and how to make the trap for yellow jackets and wax moths , with the results, about half way down the page, JPP.
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Anyone else tried this approach? Wax moths are bad here this year. Winter that wasn't failed to knock them down some. I might give it a try if I can find some 2 liter bottles. We don't drink that stuff.
Use large Gatoraide bottles , work bettet because oif the large mouth. JPP
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Great tip, thanks!
I second the request for anyone with pictures
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You will catch yellow jackets with that type of trap. If you want to kill wax moths light a fire near the hive at night during burn season or a webber bbq and watch them fly into the fire and burn.
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1/2 gal milk
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Here is a picture of my Wax Moth Trap.
There are quite a few in this one.
(http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll312/capt44/mothtrap_zps6503c872.jpg)