Moth control with B.t

[guatebee]

Certan used to be a very popular product. I have not heard of it lately. Does anyone know of its current status? I work for the ministry of Agriculture in Guatemala; it would be very convenient for us troipical beekeepers to use B.t if still available and approved.
Any news are welcome.

[PCM]

Go to the Beesource main page, use the search feature, about 3 or so pages on CERTAN.

Legal in Guatemala ?
I think you need to find that yourself.

Good Luck
PCM

Oh, right, Sundance does have some BT.

[Grant]

I bought Xen Teri from Sundance. The stuff works great.

Three teaspoons into a gallon of water, poured into garden sprayer, sprayed as a fine mist until the surface of the frame looks "sweaty," flip the frame over and repeat, then into the storage shed they go.

Great stuff.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[tecumseh]

if I remember correctly Certan was never approved for use in the US. It was approved in Canada. One very old bee magazine article suggest that it was NOT 100% effective... which I took to mean that since the material is powder and mixed in a liquid medium application of the final mix sprayed over frames could be somewhat hit or miss.

[guatebee]

Grant, you are the kind of guy I needed to talk to. Thanks for the receipe.
One thing you didnt mention is haw many combs you spray with a gallon of the Xentari mixture. And, did you let them dry before storing? For how long does the product stay effective on the combs?

The results of our experimenting will be shered in this forum.

[Jeffzhear]

Originally Posted by guatebee

Grant, you are the kind of guy I needed to talk to. Thanks for the receipe.
One thing you didnt mention is haw many combs you spray with a gallon of the Xentari mixture. And, did you let them dry before storing? For how long does the product stay effective on the combs?

The results of our experimenting will be shered in this forum.

To say how far a gallon goes depends on how fine a spray you put on. When you run out, mix another batch. From my recollection it lasts a few days after being mixed with water, but the powder has lasted from one season to the next for me.

I think I read somewhere that you should also use gloves and keep the spray off of your skin.

[guatebee]

Update on Bascillus thuringiensis in Guatemala:

Our own experiment is now under way. This is how we designed it:

Low concentration: 1 teaspoon Xentari per liter of water (= 3.785 teaspoons per gallon)
High concentration: 2 teaspoons Xentari per liter of water

8 boxes, each with ten combs. Make sure all boxes have combs that attract moths.

2 boxes receive NO treatnment.
3 boxes receive low dosage treatment
3 boxes receive high dosage treatment

At the given concentrations, we have figured the cost (product only) is:
Low concentration: $ 0.11 per box (per season)
High concentration: $ 0.22 per box (per season)

To some beekeepers who know the value of stored comb, this cost is very low compared to:
* having to melt all surplus comb
* render the wax. have foundation made, put foundation on frames
* buying foundation to compensate for lost wax


Our procedure:

1. Treatment consists of spraying fine mist of Xentari mixture on both sides of each comb, until combs are wet (not dripping). We tested and found o.5 liters per comb to be sufficient. That translates to a gallon of Xentari mixture sprays 70-80 combs.

2. Boxes are numbered. Recording cards are numbered correspondingly.

2. Combs will be left to air dry. We have not heard how long this takes. It is weather dependant.

3. Combs are stored as usual; all boxes in the same stack. Intentional acces to moth is left between boxes.

4. Weekly observations will be made and recorded for each box. Moth infestation will be evaluated

I`ll post our results as they come in. Thanks for any extra input.

[Dave W]

>Certan was never approved for use in the US. . . .
Certan WAS approved in U.S but its U.S. manufacturer stop making it. Some years later, it was "re-introduced" in the U.S. by a "new maker" in Europe and that manufacturer does not have current "approval".

[Grant]

Originally Posted by guatebee

Grant, you are the kind of guy I needed to talk to. Thanks for the receipe.
One thing you didnt mention is haw many combs you spray with a gallon of the Xentari mixture. And, did you let them dry before storing? For how long does the product stay effective on the combs?

The results of our experimenting will be shered in this forum.

I cover about a dozen supers per gallon, give or take one or two either way. I figure about 9 or 10 frames per super.

I lay out my frames on the concrete driveway, end to end, side to side so it looks like a big patch-work blanket. Then I spray those frames. Then I flip them all over and spray the other side.

This way I get every frame covered and any "over spray" is not lost on the driveway. After all, my driveway doesn't have any wax moth problems!

As for drying, once they are sprayed, I put them back in the super while still wet and put them in my storage shed. They air dry. I'm not sure how long the spray lasts, but the following spring I take the supers out and use them. Then after extracting, I spray the frames. I'm sure I've sprayed some frames more than once, but every year, every extracted frame gets treated.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[magnet-man]

B.T. is very effective at wax moth control. At one point there was some experimentation of putting B.T. in the was of foundation. It was effective as long as the larva ate into the foundation wax. Water doesn't break down B.T. toxin so it will store wet. When you purchase the B.T. you are not purchasing live bacteria but actually the toxin the bacteria produces and will last indefinitely for practical purposes. I tested some B-401 Certan that was 5 years old against the Xen Teri that Sundance sells. The B-401 still worked just as well as Sundance's Xen Teri. The stuff doesn't go bad and the bag Sundance sells is a lifetime supply if you are not a commercial operation. So just remember when you spray your tomato plants with Xen Teri to keep your drawn frames away from the spray. If you don't, you won't be able to raise wax moth larva for the bait shop.