wax moth question

[Chef Isaac]

I was curious as to what a wax moth looks like. Anyone have any pictures?

is a wax moth a kind of moth or does any moth do the same as the wax moth?

[Doug R]

I think a wax moth is a wax moth. There is the greater wax moth and the lesser wax moth. Both are destructive. They have been here since the early 1800s.

Here's a picture: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/images/wax%20moth%20&%20Bee.jpg

Check out this site for lots of good pictures and info: http://www.blessedbee.ca/encyclopedia/honeybees/diseases/waxmoths.php

Doug

[Jeffrey Todd]

Chef, do you mean to say that you are fortunate enough to have actually never seen a wax moth or had damage from them? If so, then congrats! You must be doing a good job!
Wax moths look pretty much like any old moth, IMO. Except for the destruction they visit upon unguarded combs, they are nothing out of the ordinary.

[tecumseh]

if my memory card is still functional there are about 30 species of moth that fall into the wax moth category. even those common and fairly small moths that you might find in a bag of flour will accomplish the same function as lesser and greater wax moths. the little larvaes it is said make for great fish bait.

[Chef Isaac]

I didnt have any problems with it last year because I sprayed each frame with BT. I found it at a little gardening store and it works wonders.

If supers and frames are kept in a closed garage, will the oth still enter them???

[kenpkr]

"If supers and frames are kept in a closed garage, will the oth still enter them???"

You'll probably always have wax moth eggs in the comb. The Bt works by killing the larvae once they've hatched out. I tried putting frames inside a garbage bag and sealing it but the eggs in the comb hatched and .... you can guess what happened in a short period of time!

[Jeffrey Todd]

Chef, any frames that you have sprayed in the past should be OK. The Bt spores will be around for a long time and will kill any moth larvae that hatch and ingest them. Any frames that were not treated, however, will need treatment, because, as kenpr said, the eggs are almost always going to be there even if you have never seen them.
BTW, do you remember where you picked up that Bt spray and the name of it?

Jeffrey