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Author Topic: Maggot or caterpillar ?  (Read 10593 times)

Offline Pete

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Maggot or caterpillar ?
« on: October 01, 2010, 06:37:22 am »
I noticed a maggot type creature, but it moved like a caterpillar moving over the frames. Other bees has a crack at grabbing it but it kept escaping. Seeing the other bees try and kill i figured i would do it for them.

Anyone ever see this crawlin over the brood?

Offline JP

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2010, 07:33:37 am »
Sounds like wax moth larvae. See any webbing? If you have several boxes on this hive and not quite enough bees to patrol the entire space within this set up, you may need to pull some boxes and condense their efforts.

Wax moths often show up after a hive has swarmed and there is too much space within the set up.


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Offline Culley

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2010, 09:45:24 am »
Don't know what hive beetles are like down there, but we have beetle larvae at the moment here in NSW.

Edit: hope this helps:
« Last Edit: October 01, 2010, 11:11:04 am by Cullz »

Offline AllenF

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2010, 10:31:57 am »
Small hive beetle or wax moth.  Small hive beetle larvae often congregate in corners, possibly to retain heat. This clustering distinguishes beetle larvae from wax moth larvae that are found scattered throughout weak colonies. Other distinguishing characteristics include size. Beetle larvae never reach the size of mature wax moth larvae. Also, beetle larvae have three pairs of jointed, “true” legs located behind the head. Wax moth larvae have many small, fleshy, uniform legs along the length of the body. And the bodies of beetle larvae have tough exteriors while those of wax moth larvae are soft and easily penetrated.

Offline Pete

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2010, 11:53:28 am »
Crap. Its a wax moth larva that i saw. :?

Off to read up on getting rid of them :(

Offline OzBuzz

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2010, 07:09:27 pm »
If you only have a few hold the frame up to the sun, locate them and pierce them with a sewing needle-the bees take care of the rest

Offline Pete

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2010, 07:18:20 pm »
Yeah i just squashed with my hive tool.

they hive was directly on the ground and there was too much space in there...basically used a hive cos i have no Nuc. I combined it with another swarm and will check it in a few days...

Offline Pete

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2011, 07:59:39 am »
That hive ended up failing and i stored the frames in the shed and i noticed they had a lot of moth so i stuck em in the freezer in the shed and they have been there since last summer.

Pulled em out and cleaned them and the moth has even eaten at the frames...they make a real mess.


Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2011, 09:13:19 am »
Wow!  They *do* damage the wood!  Thanks for posting.  Anybody got any pictures of wax moth damage that they want to share?

Ed
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Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2011, 10:12:47 pm »
This was a hive my father left in the barn after he had given all the equipment away.  The man said he was going to come back for it...

click for bigger

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Offline Mardak

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2011, 01:42:15 am »
Looks like wax moth. Squash and remove. Freeze frames before storing for winter or freeze them now and put back into boxes cleaned up. Strong hive will clean them up.

Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2011, 05:59:04 pm »
CC, that is some interesting looking marking on the wood.  Is it the pupae that leaves those marks or is it the caterpillar as it prepares it's cocoon?  ...or, the waxmoth, itself?

Ed
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American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra

Offline Pete

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #12 on: December 18, 2011, 07:24:17 pm »
Looks like the cocoon.

Offline CapnChkn

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2011, 02:45:40 am »
I really don't know.  The worm shaped holes are under the cocoons, and they obviously chewed the wood.  My thinking is they want to set a place for the cocoon, and chew the hole there to anchor it.  In nature it would probably be in rotten wood surrounding the cavity in the hive.
"Thinking is like sin, them that doesn't is scairt of it, and them that does gets to liking it so much they can't quit!"  -Josh Billings.

Offline JP

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #14 on: December 19, 2011, 11:15:59 am »
The larvae is what causes the damage to woodenware.


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Offline Intheswamp

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Re: Maggot or caterpillar ?
« Reply #15 on: December 19, 2011, 01:55:45 pm »
Thanks JP.
www.beeweather.com 
American blood spilled to protect the freedom and peace of people all over the world.  320,000 USA casualties in WWI, 1,076,000 USA casualties in WWII, 128,000 USA casualties in the Korean War, 211,000 casualties in the Vietnam "conflict", 57,000 USA casualties in "War on Terror".  Benghazi, Libya, 13 USA casualties. These figures don't include 70,000 MIA.  But, the leaders of one political party of the United States of America continue to make the statement..."What difference does it make?".

"We can't expect the American People to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find that they have Communism."..."The press is our chief ideological weapon." - Nikita Khrushchev

"Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they wont come to yours." - Yogi Berra