Wax moth are rampant this year

[Redcap]

The reason Mrs H is "sensitive" is we built an extension with a loft, where I store a lot of bee kit eg extractor, settling tank, wax melter etc.

Well, I'd melted some wax, cleaned out the SS cyl as best I could and returned it to the loft directly above Mrs H's WFH location. Unappreciated by me was how little a bloody wax moth needs to lay hundreds of eggs!!! Well, lay it did and after the prescribed incubation period, the maggot shaped critters started to crawl thro the sunken lights dropping into the room below and as luck would have it, landing on Mrs H's keyboard whilst she was tapping away. Both in her locale and the adjoining utility!!!

I recall one rather large wriggler abseiling down its silk like thread not inches from her nose on its way south which, turned out to be a particularly bad day for me.

This went on for several weeks in parallel with my decline in life expectancy. Every morning before work could start she would inspect the room like a possessed Sgt Maj with me in tow collecting the critters for disposal. At one point it did seem to be relentless as the daily numbers did not subside for quite a while.

To rekindle these fond memories [remember, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger] by whizzing two more past her feet and then for her to stare in disbelief as they started to wriggle on the lounge carpet, likely triggered a traumatic event and flashbacks etc.

Think I've found the revolving door too now.....

 

[yeoldgit]

Not sure if it's the hot weather or my supers now being comfortably housed in a new warm shed but the wax moth larvae have been rampant! I had a stack of wet supers in the shed with beginning of infestation in 3 supers across 3 frames, all this within 3-4 weeks of extraction.
Another BB with 10 full frames of honey was also fair game. The whole lot got the sulphur burning treatment.
It's the first time I have seen so much of it, I usually don't have this problem nor do I treat boxes and frames until November.
Are the BB frames full of stores ok to give back to the bees for winter feed?

 

[yeoldgit]

I've found a very small number of wax moth larvae as I've been extracting this weekend. Relatively recently hatched I think, as they were all quite small. There's been no brood in my supers, but there is the occasional cell of pollen (I really do mean occasional -- the worst probably had no more than a couple of dozen cells filled). I've put those with the most pollen in straight into the freezer after extraction in case that's what has attraced them, but I'm feeling a bit twitchy about the rest now. I've never had problems with wax moth in extracted supers before, so I'm going to have to keep a close eye on things. Rain is forecast every day so hopefully there'll be the opportunity to open up the stacked supers without attracting bees and wasps.

I've been doing a bit of reading online and come across a claim that the eggs need a moist atmosphere to hatch. I've no idea if that's true or not, but assuming it is then I guess inside a hive when the bees are ripening honey there's definitely going to be a moist atmosphere so it's great for them. I wonder if storing supers wet helps in that respect because if they're sealed up then the remaining honey will absorb some of the moisture from the air inside.

James

Not sure if it's the hot weather or my supers now being comfortably housed in a new warm shed but the wax moth larvae have been rampant! I had a stack of wet supers in the shed with beginning of infestation in 3 supers across 3 frames, all this within 3-4 weeks of extraction.
Another BB with 10 full frames of honey was also fair game. The whole lot got the sulphur burning treatment.
It's the first time I have seen so much of it, I usually don't have this problem nor do I treat boxes and frames until November.
Are the BB frames full of stores ok to give back to the bees for winter feed?

It’s not only BB they are attacking, had 2 wet supers covered over in the garage 2 wax moth and loads of grubs with the associated carnage.

 

[pargyle]

It’s not only BB they are attacking, had 2 wet supers covered over in the garage 2 wax moth and loads of grubs with the associated carnage.

Give them a dose of sulphur ..the burner is only £10 from Thornes and the sulphur tabs are £12.50 ... money well spent. Kills all the stages of the infestation and as it's only sulphur dioxide gas has no effect on the combs. Super combs are a valuable resource.

Freezing is not always reliable - the eggs can remain viable.

After sulphur treatment I give any frames that go into store a spray with Dipel - it's not cheap but it will protect the frames over the entire winter and a tub of the stuff will last years - it's supposed to have a 2 year shelf life but my tub is still working well beyond that time frame.

Again, no harm to the frames or risk to the bees but it prevents the grubs developing and they die before they do any damage ..

If you are organised you can, instead of Dipel just retreat with the sulphur burner every 4 weeks or so which will sort out any reinfestation.

I store my frames wet and rarely get much of a problem but I don't use Queen excluders and some of the super frames will have had brood in them - and wax moths tend to prefer these and any freshly built comb ... if anywhere this is where I find the little beggars.

 

[PeaBee]

I was talking to a pest controller at work last week who said he has never had so many moth jobs (carpet/clothes) as he does at the moment. Think all pesky moths may have had a good summer.

 

[pargyle]

I was talking to a pest controller at work last week who said he has never had so many moth jobs (carpet/clothes) as he does at the moment. Think all pesky moths may have had a good summer.

Yes - it's been a good year for moths of all sorts ...I think the mild winter also helped with a low mortality rate.

 

[Nannysbees]

Just went into our stored supers to give back to the bees for winter, crawling with wax moth larvae, just ordered dipel!!!!!

 

[Moira]

Interested to know your application strength and rate.

 

[user 20297]

Interested to know your application strength and rate.

Somewhere, there was a link to "The Apiarist" blog, where he has looked at the application rates on tomato crops and extrapolated the data for use with wax frames.
It seems that for tomatoes and many other crops, the dilution rate of the culture is 0.1%, which I think, is one gram in a litre of water. That is very tricky to mix to a consistent dilution.
The suggestion is to mix a relatively concentrated solution and then to further dilute before use. "The Apiaraist" applied at a 1% solution, which was done by mixing a 1:20 solution by weight and then further diluting this "stock" at a rate of 1:5 with water; I will be aiming more closely for the recommended rate of 0.1%.

EDIT: Just checked my small packet of generic, Bacillus thuringiensis, which states an application rate of 75 g per 20 litres of water. This dilution rate is a fair bit stronger than the guidance above.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Dipel - it's not cheap

just ordered dipel

Bruco is the same Bacillus thuringiensis Kurstaki as Dipel but £4.50 cheaper than Dipel at ProGreen. At Agrigem Dipel is slightly cheaper than ProGreen at £57.60.
Interesting to note that in the US, Dipel is £27 for 2.2kg.

 

[ics19]

EDIT: Just checked my small packet of generic, Bacillus thuringiensis, which states an application rate of 75 g per 20 litres of water. This dilution rate is a fair bit stroger than the guidance above.

This year we used the last of a bulk buy of Certan B401 from a couple of years back (still just in date), but although it's the same Bacillus thuringiensis in a concentrated solution, the given mix rate was 10ml Certan to 200ml of water (1:20 or 5%) - the Dipel mixes seem more dilute, is that because the Dipel's more concentrated to start with? The 210ml Certan mix was sufficient for a 10 frame super.

 

[hemo]

BTK or BTA both affect nearly all the same species are caterpiller so both.
Again it appears over use can lead to resistance.

A US paper I found on the subject from Uni of Kentucky.
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id156/id156.pdf
I have used xentari bta and found it works, white dried out waxmoth carcasses can be found within combs.
I apply and then check combs a fortnight later for signs of any reinfestion or live larva, if need be re - apply where needed and seal between boxes with a thin board or I use old Greenhouse glass.

 

[JamezF]

BTK or BTA both affect nearly all the same species are caterpiller so both.
Again it appears over use can lead to resistance.

I think this is probably why its use is controlled in the UK: improper use (under-treating as well as over-treating) has been shown to result in resistance developing in certain species.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Bruco is the same Bacillus thuringiensis Kurstaki as Dipel but £4.50 cheaper than Dipel at ProGreen. At Agrigem Dipel is slightly cheaper than ProGreen at £57.60.
Interesting to note that in the US, Dipel is £27 for 2.2kg.

Bought from agrigem but with postage worked out £65

 

[Nannysbees]

So is it neat or does it need to be mixed? do I need to get a spray bottle to administer?

 

[pargyle]

So is it neat or does it need to be mixed? do I need to get a spray bottle to administer?

It's a powder - you mix it up with water - then spray the solution onto the frames. I use one of these type garden sprayers ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Action-Gar...a-4772-9b6c-f38f9c6d93e7&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

 

[Swarm]

Bought from agrigem but with postage worked out £65

But that's for 2.2 kg as opposed to 500 g. We tend to get stung quite a lot for prices.

 

[JamezF]

We tend to get stung quite a lot for prices.

I see what you did there

James

 

[Nannysbees]

It's a powder - you mix it up with water - then spray the solution onto the frames. I use one of these type garden sprayers ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Action-Gar...a-4772-9b6c-f38f9c6d93e7&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi

Thank you I'll order one, is it just a light mist or do you give it a good soaking?

 

[user 20297]

Thank you I'll order one, is it just a light mist or do you give it a good soaking?

....and does anyone know how long the bacterium stays active once suspended in water?