[walkzdogz]

Eek! I just checked my hives and none of them made it through this hard KS winter. What do I do with the hive bodies and frames to protect them from moths til I get more bees? I have hives for 5 but will most likely only purchase 2 pkgs and will not get them til Easter. Do I need to bring the hives into my garage and put moth crystals on them? What about the honey in the frames? Would that be okay for future bees if stored with moth crystals?
Appreciate any help.

 

[BuzzyBee]

Sorry to hear about your hives. Do you know what did them in?

Last year I didn't see wax moths until either end of June or July sometime, so don't think you need to worry too much if you can get bees by May. The female moth would have to get into the hives, so I think if you just stacked them with a piece of plywood on the bottom and top, that would probably keep them out. If you are still worried about it, you could tape the seams.

You could also leave them set up, bait them with lemon grass oil and/or pheromone and see if you can get some swarms to move in on their own.

Hope that helps and I'm sure others will chime in with different plans for you to consider.

BB

BTW, Welcome to the Board!!

 

[tct1w]

My worst bee nightmare. Losing them all. Feel bad for you. Just get light to them and that will keep the wax moth out. I wouldnt use para moth now. A light bulb on above them in the garage would be my choice. Peace Dave

 

[StevenG]

Not knowing how you have them set up, I'd go with Buzzybee's suggestion. I'd reduce them to one story brood nest, bait it with lgo, some honey frames, and leave 2 to 3 like that. The rest of the equipment I'd move to my yard, solid bottom and top to seal them from critters, and let them sit until Spring. You'll need them pretty soon.

Also, you might contact local law enforcement, let them know you'll retrieve swarms if they get any calls.
Good luck! Sorry about your loss.
Steven

 

[walkzdogz]

Thanx everyone. But why not use moth crystals on the hives that I know I will not be using this year? I have hives for 5 but will only get 2 pkgs of bees this spring.

What do I do with the frames that have honey in them? Is it bad to store them with moth crystals? That seems easier than keeping a light on. And I don't think I have room in the freezer for them.

If I can't get all the "bodies" out of the frames, will I have a mold problem? And if I end up with a mold problem, will I have to throw those frames out?

I appreciate your input and your condolences.

 

[no1cowboy]

go through youre hive boxes and brush off the frames with a bee brush, then in the 2 hives your planning on using, take out the empty frames and put the extra frames of honey in there place.

 

[Hambone]

Freeze your frames for 24 hours. Buy some Bt Aizawai and spray your comb with that. Save the honey frames for some swarms you catch or extract it or add to hive that it low on stores if the future. Don't use the honey frames in swarm traps. It invites everyone. Everyone likes honey.

 

[indypartridge]

Freeze your frames for 24 hours. Buy some Bt Aizawai and spray your comb with that.

Freezing probably isn't necessary coming out of winter. They've likely had plenty of that already. I second the motion to use Bt instead of paradichlorobenzene (PDCB), which is easily soluble and absorbed into wax.

And, when talking about "moth crystals", be sure to understand there's a big difference between those that are napthalene based and those that are PDCB.