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Author Topic: Wax Moths  (Read 3526 times)

Offline Two Bees

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Wax Moths
« on: June 01, 2009, 09:59:11 am »
I have read most of the posts on the forum concerning how to take care of wax moths but I need clarification on a couple of points.

When  you say to cut out the infestation, are you removing the whole comb/foundation and freezing just the frame?

If you just find wax moth larvae or eggs on a frame, should you remove it or just freeze it?

Thanks!



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Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2009, 12:18:41 pm »
Freezing the whole frame is easier than cutting out the comb, so if the comb is still in good shape, that's what you should do.  If it's not in good shape, then remove the comb.  If you remove the comb, then freezing the frame is optional.  Better safe than sorry in my opinion though.

Offline iddee

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2009, 05:31:20 pm »
Removing the infestation means removing the webs and the comb that is destroyed. It doesn't mean remove the whole comb. The bees will repair and replace the comb you remove.

Also, you can spray the combs with Bacillus Thuringiensis and not have to worry about wax moths any more.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

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Offline Two Bees

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2009, 09:08:14 am »
Bizarre!

I have a swarm that I hived using a medium super on 10 frames of foundation.  I didn't have any deeps when this swarm took off on April 14.  Once the colony built out the medium, I added a deep with 10 frames of foundation and continued to feed 1:1 syrup.  They haven't really been overly enthusiastic about building out that deep but the activity from the hive was acceptable.

On Sunday when I removed the insert from my screened bottom board, I noticed several 1/4" worms and 2-3 worms that were about a inch long.  Based upon what I have read on this forum, I thought that I had a weak colony with too much space to defend and had wax moths.  So, I readied my equipment to reduce the colony to just the bottom medium and, if necessary, put a divider board in this box if they were not defending all 10 frames.

Yesterday, when I opened the hive up, they had drawn out about 4 frames in the deep that was on top of the medium and it was clean............no signs of moths at all!  After I removed the deep, I inspected the brood medium on the bottom and found it to be clean as well.  The bottom board screen was absolutely clean as well.  I only saw on SHB and killed it.

Sooooooooooo.........I don't know what was living on that bottom board insert.  I can only speculate that the larvae/worms may have been SHB larvae or wax moth larvae that the bees couldn't kill because they were separated from the board insert by the screened bottom.

Thoughts?

 
"Don't know what I'd do without that boy......but I'm sure willin' to give it a try!"
J.D. Clampett commenting about Jethro Bodine.

Offline JP

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2009, 09:20:35 am »
Once wax moth show up you will soon start to see webbing, did you see webbing?

My guess is you had shb

Wax moths are longer, larger and softer than shb larvae which are more flattened and much, much harder to squoosh between your fingers.


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Offline Two Bees

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2009, 02:14:56 pm »
Thanks, JP!  It was kinda weird.

I didn't see any webbing at all and the bottom board was clean.

The day before when I pulled the ScrBB insert out, it had a bunch of trash (i.e. pollen bits, wax bits, and something that looked like sawdust on it).  No sludge or anything really nasty.  As I removed the insert, I uncovered 3-4 larvae about an inch long that were hiding in the trash.  Upon closer inspection, I noticed several (15-20 much smaller worms) about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long in addition to the larger, one-inch worms.

I took some pictures of the stuff on the bottom board insert and when I figure how to get the into a file, I will post so you can see what I'm talking about.

"Don't know what I'd do without that boy......but I'm sure willin' to give it a try!"
J.D. Clampett commenting about Jethro Bodine.

Offline iddee

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Re: Wax Moths
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2009, 11:33:57 pm »
It is normal and you made a very good guess in your post. That is why you only place the insert in when you want to do a mite count. At other times, it should be removed and stored.
"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

*Shel Silverstein*