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Wax Moths

4K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  carbide 
#1 ·
It looks like wax moths found my stored comb. It's not bad... not all webby and larva (yet), but I see a few trails and moths flew out. Are the frames save-able, or do I have to get rid of them? Can they be melted into wax?

Mostly old, old black comb, so I'm not devastated, but it was nice having spares.
 
#4 ·
what do you do if wax moths got into your hive and devistated it? I was out of town for quite some time (about two months) and when I got back I was devistated. I had five hives, strong ones at that. One hive was completely dead. All gone with tunnells and cucoons left behind and all. Another one has a but load of wax moth larva in it. It was a double deep hive, so I took the top one off and set it aside, and looked through the bottom half and didn't see any queen or any bee larva but saw a whole bunch of wax moth larva. I assume it is lost, but what can I do?
 
#11 ·
I agree with Brent. It is a fact that wax moths do not themselves devastate a hive. The bees will not allow them if their population is in the thousands. There is some lurking cause like disease that reduced their population and thus made the combs succeptible to the wax moths.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Thanks MB I guess I should have read the question better.
I have had very good luck keeping wax moths out of my stored comb by putting a light over them 24 hours a day. They don’t like the light and stay away. I tried and experiment this spring with a stack of boxes and so far no wax moths. One box even had some brood comb with a little pollen.
 
#15 ·
Wax Moth devistation

I had a late swarm come out about the last week of July and I thought they were building up. I never noticed any moths 2-3 weeks ago when I checked them. I checked them yesterday and wax moths had wrecked the colony. It was doubtful that they would have made it, but I could have fed them. I might could combine whats left with another hive, but this time of year they don't them. Anything I can do to save the thousand or so bees left?
Thanks
 
#16 ·
I had a late swarm come out about the last week of July and I thought they were building up. I never noticed any moths 2-3 weeks ago when I checked them. I checked them yesterday and wax moths had wrecked the colony. It was doubtful that they would have made it, but I could have fed them. I might could combine whats left with another hive, but this time of year they don't them. Anything I can do to save the thousand or so bees left?
Thanks
Try shaking them out in front of a stronger busy hive in the middle of the day. They should accept them without any problem.
 
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