For storing used boxes would cedar ball work as good as Moth balls?
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
Jim, cedar does not control wax moths according Michael Bush and others. If it did, supers made of cedar would be all the rage.
Please note that moth balls and moth crystals are not the same thing. Moth balls are napthalene and moth crystals are p-dichlorobenzine. Moth BALLS will kill your bees.
Please note that moth balls and moth crystals are not the same thing. Moth balls are napthalene and moth crystals are p-dichlorobenzine. Moth BALLS will kill your bees.
Joined
·
1,458 Posts
JW, last year I was given a few supers & frames with comb that were stored (for a few weeks) with moth balls. I hesitated to use them because I could still sniff a slight odor in the boxes. I thought I'd give them a year to air out, but after your statement above, I'm wondering if airing them for an extended time will allow me to use them at all. Any advise would be appreciated.
JW- Thanks for the clarification. Price of boxes has gone up bad enough with the buy outs I probably could not buy cedar but it it keeps moths and such out I wonder if the bees would like the smell either?
What do you use to protect your boxes?
I have sealed my boxes in big clear garbage but wonder what is the best to use with them for a winter where the bees are still our and about 2-5 days a week all winter till a week or two every Jan or Feb.
What do you use to protect your boxes?
I have sealed my boxes in big clear garbage but wonder what is the best to use with them for a winter where the bees are still our and about 2-5 days a week all winter till a week or two every Jan or Feb.
Jim, I tried using Bt.k but that did not work out as well as I had hoped. Frames that had had brood in them were still destroyed. Now, most of my remaining frames are on the hives where they will remain until it stays near freezing. At that point I have 2 bags of moth ice crystals that I will be using to see me through till mid march.
Tim, A year of airing is probably safe, but I am not a chemist and do not know for certain that napthalene does not absorb into the wax. Even if it doesn't, that time line won't work in normal circumstances. We need to be able to pull supers out of storage and get them on our hives a week or two later.
Tim, A year of airing is probably safe, but I am not a chemist and do not know for certain that napthalene does not absorb into the wax. Even if it doesn't, that time line won't work in normal circumstances. We need to be able to pull supers out of storage and get them on our hives a week or two later.
Joined
·
2,659 Posts
I build all my own boxes and swarm traps out of cedar. Bees like it. Swarms will cluster in cedar (juniper) trees and will move into hollows in cedar trees. Wax moths will eat and tunnel in cedar boxes. I don’t have problems with wax moths in stored frames and boxes as long as the frames are kept dry and exposed to light.
I am just storing 5 boxes that the bees have cleaned out pretty well. Now they are in large clear plastic bags that are closed up so it sounds like a very small amt of moth crystals might do the job.
I was doing some work this summer and had a few extra old frames that I had scraped the old wax off that started showing some small wax damage on the edges after they were left in the shed but last year the suppers did not show damage that were just bee cleaned and bagged.
Thanks for the help.
I was doing some work this summer and had a few extra old frames that I had scraped the old wax off that started showing some small wax damage on the edges after they were left in the shed but last year the suppers did not show damage that were just bee cleaned and bagged.
Thanks for the help.
Well I got my moth crystals and had one more question.
With the boxes in big clear garage bags what about adding a little crystal to the bag then removing the crystals in a few days and storing?
I am guessing if you leave the crystals closed up in the bag it is not a good thing because the crystal vapor cannot dissipate from the bag
Time to do something this afternoon.
Ideas?
It is 54 this am and our coldest day of the year so far.
With the boxes in big clear garage bags what about adding a little crystal to the bag then removing the crystals in a few days and storing?
I am guessing if you leave the crystals closed up in the bag it is not a good thing because the crystal vapor cannot dissipate from the bag
Time to do something this afternoon.
Ideas?
It is 54 this am and our coldest day of the year so far.
Joined
·
2,306 Posts
JWpalmer if you hunt you can find moth balls with p ingredients. Mostly at small hardware stores.
Dollar Stores have the bags for of course, $1.
Learn something new every day. Ok, I have been under the misunderstanding that PDB did not come in ball form. Clearly it does. However, one must read the ingredients to make sure you are getting Para moth balls, and not the old fashioned napthalene ones. Why do companies make two items that look the same and have the same name but are totally different. Take the new BK " Impossible Whopper" for example...
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
