Certan

[BjornBee]

I would like to pass on some information on a product that was suggested by Mike B.

I ordered certan from beeworks and have been impressed with this product. It is not something you see in the big bee magazines and may help someone else.

Certan used/sprayed on supers can be done before storing supers or just prior to putting in the hive. It is completely harmless to bees, humans and honey supplies. No chemicals are involved. It is an enzyme/larvicide that when injested by the wax worm, destroys its stomach.

I had two frames that I had set aside to test this product and they were completely loaded with worms. I sprayed with certan and set aside for ten days. When I checked back all worms were dead.

Using this product when supering in the spring if wax worms are present or on a need to use basis would be a great help against the moths.

I plan on keeping it as part of my equipment when visiting apiaries. Any sign of worms trying to get a foothold will be sprayed and with confidence.

I wish I had sprayed ahead of time those weak hives I discovered this past weekend.

Thanks Mike B.

[Michael Bush]

It's acutally a bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis, which kills the wax moth larvae.

[BjornBee]

Guten Tag,

Ich sprecht bissen Deutsch. Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut.

Other than the mixing directions given on a piece of paper, the composition and other details of certan on the bottle are either in German or French. I stand corrected that it is a bacteria and not an enzyme. My translation is a little off since its been many years since I lived in Germany. I can probably only translate about half but its pretty technical on the bottle.

I have noticed that since mixing the amounts in a spray bottle, that the odor of this stuff has gotten stronger. Is there a shelf-life after mixing with water, that it has to be used by?

Danke und Auf Wiedersehen.

[Michael Bush]

True, most of what is on the bottle is not in English. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif I didn't get that info from the bottle. I'm not sure about a shelf life. I've mixed it and used it over a long period of time, like a year, but always assumed it would be better to use it sooner instead of later. Maybe the bacteria get growing and it's like yeast? You end up with more instead of less? I can't read German very well either. The little bit my wife speaks she got from her Parents and Grandparents and they were from Russia, so it's not exactly high German, let alone technical jargon.

[Robert Brenchley]

Apparently you can make more by mashing some of the dead caterpillars up with milk and keeping it in the fridge.

[Michael Bush]

Especially some of the ones that died from using Certan. http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif Maybe just add a little certan to the milk? Not sure I like a bacteria that lives in my milk living in my fridge, though.