Wax moths!!

I had stored my drawn out empty frames in my garage. I had some of the moth crystals (not sure the name but the ones beekeepers use) on them but apparently they evaporated and the moths got into them. I was so upset! Anyhow they did not destroy all the frames (I had two supers). I threw out the ones that were destroyed. Half of them looked OK though. Are they still safe to keep? I put the remaining ones in the freezer. I sure hope so! That was a big lesson learned.

They will be fine to keep. I did the same thing, got away with it one year but last year not so much, now I store them outside with plenty of fresh air circulating thru them. The moths hate light and fresh air.

They'll be fine. Wax moths have been more of a problem for me the past couple of years than before.

Hi Sally,
Wax moth larvae need the nutrients held in wax comb….not actually the wax itself. Pristine, white comb that only held honey is of no use to them and they will usually ignore it. Dark comb that was used for brood rearing or pollen storage provides a feast. I stack my white comb boxes in a barn out of the weather but where they get daylight. I place a metal queen excluder on the bottom of the stack and one on the top. The metal excluders keep mice from moving in and building nests in the comb. White comb shouldn’t need any pdb (moth crystals). I try to put the boxes containing dark comb on healthy vigorous hives. If you have too much and want to store them, then you can do as you did but as you’ve already discovered you need to check periodically to be sure the pdb crystals are still offgassing.
Good luck

Sally, Don't throw out the moth invaded frames. I know it is gross, but remove the foundation and then scrape and wire brush the frames (get in all the cracks and crevices) and inside the super boxes and then just order and install fresh foundation later this winter. I have many old pitted frames and boxes and they are good reminders that prevention is much easier than the cleanup. I once had some boxes that were so gross and nasty that I submerged them in the Bay for a week and let the fishes and critters feed on 'em and it actually made the cleanup much easier - whatever works. Good Luck.

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Originally Posted by beemandan

Hi Sally,
Wax moth larvae need the nutrients held in wax comb….not actually the wax itself. Pristine, white comb that only held honey is of no use to them and they will usually ignore it. Dark comb that was used for brood rearing or pollen storage provides a feast. I stack my white comb boxes in a barn out of the weather but where they get daylight. I place a metal queen excluder on the bottom of the stack and one on the top. The metal excluders keep mice from moving in and building nests in the comb. White comb shouldn’t need any pdb (moth crystals). I try to put the boxes containing dark comb on healthy vigorous hives. If you have too much and want to store them, then you can do as you did but as you’ve already discovered you need to check periodically to be sure the pdb crystals are still offgassing.
Good luck

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Thank you Dan. That makes perfect sense as to which ones were destroyed and which ones were not. Thank you to all for the advice.