BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • Good News Varroa. Bad News Wax Moth - but what can I do about it?

  • More advanced beekeeping discussion forum.
More advanced beekeeping discussion forum.
 #6167  by AndrewLD
 04 Apr 2020, 12:43
Pulled the insert boards on Friday after a week long check. Barely a varroa to be seen :D
But wax moth poop, that's another story. Inspecting next week, getting frames ready to replace any frames that are too bad but is there anything else I can actually do about it?
Our friendly bee inspector has suggested pulling the larvae out! I imagine that is a reference to tapping the frame, they pop out and then skewering them one by one - really? Does that work? Is that how to do it?
 #6170  by Chrisbarlow
 04 Apr 2020, 17:09
If I see any moth or grub, I kill them.

The bees will clear them out as they expand in spring. Or should.

I have found in the past that certain apiaries were more prone than others however as the years pass and I keep on top of the pests they seem to be less of an issue.
 #6697  by AdamD
 25 Apr 2020, 09:17
I've seen a few in hives recently - a line under the cappings. A few taps of the frame and you can either see them under the line of silk or they wriggle out. My hive tool does the rest.

I had a dry and manky super frame that I had taken out of a hive several weeks ago and it was 'put to one side' and would have had experienced very close to freezing temperatures on some evenings. As I was cleaning out the wax, a wm larva wriggled out as I took the wedge off. They can be quite hardy.