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Date: | Wed, 3 Jul 1996 09:24:00 -0700 |
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Re. Wax Moth Control
Andrew Matheson and Allen Dick referred to the use of CO2 in the control wax
moth. For many commercial producers this may not be practical because of
the need for maintaining high CO2 concentration over a prescribed time
period.
I remember in the early eighties at the Beaverlodge Research Station in the
Peace River disrtyict, we used sulphur in controlling wax moth very
effectively; In the storage shed, place each bottom super on a couple of
2x4's, and every super above that at right angles (to ensure maximum
exposure). On an old honey barrel lid, place a newspaper and a handful
(about 1/2 pound) of sulphur crystals. Light the newspaper, leave the room.
All windows and spaces underneath doors, etc. should be closed or covered to
minimize loss of sulphur fumes.
The sulphur will be ignited by the burning newspaper, but it will not flame
but smoulder and produce quite a smoke. You just leave it and mostly within
a day, the gases have escaped and you can walk into the storage room with
barely noticing a smell of sulphur. By the way, sulphur is very cheap and
mostly readily available at agricultural supply outlets as sulphur
fertilizer.
As far as I recall, tests showed that no residues or resulting agents were
identified in the honey subsequently produced in those treated frames. I do
know that the moths (as well as any mouse population in the storage shed)
were effectively controlled.
Also, I do not know whether this practise can be considered environmentally
responsible or pose a threat that I have not identified. Perhaps someone
else can shed light on that.
Also, since this involves the control of a pest, the materials and methods
described would technically require registration and approval. As we all
know (just think about the difficulty of getting formic acid approved), the
approval and registration for the use of any non-proprietary product (=
cheap, without the potential of huge profits to the manufacturer) is very
slow indeed.
Paul van Westendorp [log in to unmask]
Provincial Apiarist
British Columbia
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