Mite counts and mystery "worm"

[Maine_Beekeeper]

Hello All -
I fogged my hives last Sunday and here are the mite counts for the 24 hour period immediately after the fog. All hives are on two full deeps with 1-3 supers.
Blackwatch - 64 (also powdered sugar rolled the previous day)
Tuscany - 12
Sicily - 12
Dublin - 13
Sangria - 15
Siberia - 26
Not as bad as I thought. I'll do a few more and post the results.
ALSO I noticed yesterday afternoon that I'd missed pulling one sticky board. I pulled it and it had very strange "worms" on it. Please check out the following link http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j37/Maine_Beekeeper/?sc=1&multi=1&addtype=local&media=image
What is this thing? there were three of them and they were inside the fuzzy looking "dustbunny" looking things. They move like inchworms but don't look like any inchworm I've ever seen...
I'm very suprised to find foreign insects takien up on my sticky board so quickly!

The mite count on this hive after 5 full days was 35.

I will be doing another mite count tonight for comparison.

[Hobie]

This is no help, but I found the same worms (one each in 2 hives). I thought they looked like corn borers, and I am surrounded by corn fields. If this is true, and what they might be doing in a hive, I have no idea.

[iddee]

SHB

[ScadsOBees]

Judging from the little webbing around them, I'd vote for lesser wax moths. I've been seeing them on my SBB. And small brown/greyish moths that move really fast and erratically.

It is possible that they are SHB, I've seen a beetle or two on the SBB, also.

Just don't leave any unprotected combs around.

-rick

[Hobie]

Oh, great. Mites AND beetles. Next thing I know I'll have a plague of locusts.

[ August 25, 2006, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Hobie ]

[Maine_Beekeeper]

Wow - do a google image search on wax moth larvae or small hive beetle larvae (and just moth larvae if you want). They all pretty much look the same.

I went through the hive whose sticky board I found them (3) and all looks good. Hive is strong, bees and brood look good, screen bottom is clean and free of debris. I guess 5 days of the sticky board was just an invitation to other insects. Perhaps they are attracted to the smell of the hive debris that would otherwise end up on the ground? (wax scales, pollen, etc) abd the stick board provided a nice protected place to pick this debris up/lay eggs? I'll be keeping my eye on this hive to make sure I'm not looking at something more sinister.

[Dave W]

Maine_Beekeeper . . .

Your worm is a "wax" worm. I find them "often" (not every day smile.gif )

How often are you fogging?

[naturebee]

--Judging from the little webbing around them, I'd vote for lesser wax moths. I've been seeing them on my SBB. And small brown/greyish moths that move really fast and erratically.

Good job!
Very observant ScadsOBees!!!

Plus, you can see the wax moth feces on the board.

[jamiev]

wax worms? are they trouble? I just found the same thing on my SBB. I fogged immediately with fgmo and thymol. Will it help?

[Barry]

Here are some interesting photos on wax worm action!

http://www.beesource.com/bee-l/biobeefiles/barry/index.htm

[balhanapi]

Hello Mr Barry, why are the bees headless (in the first photograph) ?

[ September 14, 2006, 12:24 PM: Message edited by: balhanapi ]

[naturebee]

Just a theory, but here goes nuthin. smile.gif

Being that headless bees are often found on the ground outside colonies during late fall and ‘mid-winter’ as Barry states these bees were found, I’ve often associated headless dead bees with a tracheal mite infestation that characteristically peaks and kills colonies at around this time. My thinking here is that in order for tracheal mites to kill a bee, they would likely be populous inside of the bee to the point they must congregate in the main tracheal trunk of the bee near the muscles that connect the head to the thorax. This would likely bee the first spot to decay after death causing the head to fall off.

Another thing I see in the picture is that it looks like some of the bees have ‘K’ wings and swollen abdomens often associated with tracheal mite symptoms.

Again, this is just a theory, I could be wrong.

[ September 18, 2006, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Pcolar ]

[balhanapi]

Thanks Joe smile.gif

[ScadsOBees]

jamiev,
Wax moths in a strong hive will be relegated to the bottom board insert, the bees won't tolerate moths. A weak hive could be significantly damaged, you'd know by masses of webs and cocoons. They can destroy stored drawn supers without any trouble.

I don't think FGMO or thymol will do much to the moths, but I haven't heard anything about that. If they were to be a problem, your best bet is to get some BT (Aiwazi ? Sundance had some for sale)

-rick

[jamiev]

Thanks scads. What exactly is aiwazi?