Kate R. writes about a wax moth infestation:
We have followed schedules for mite treatment with Apistan, and though
we did not get much of a surplus honey crop this year, each hive had a
nearly full super of stores when we first found the problem.
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       In eastern Pennsylvania, a wax moth infestation is an indicator
of a problem with the bees.  A populous, healthy colony controls the wax
moths allowing both bees and moths to survive.
      Without having seen the bees, my guess would be that either
something is wrong with the queens in your colonies or Varroa mites have
prevented the bees from filling their colonies with young bees.
       Having a problem with all of the queens in a bee yard is
unlikely.  But with feral bee colonies gone and with fewer beekeepers
(both because of mites), queens may not be as well-mated as they were
when bee colonies (and drones) were everywhere.
       Some beekeepers in Chester County (next door to Lancaster Co.)
treat twice a year for Varroa: once in early spring and again in
mid-summer (after extracting a lot earlier than in the days before
mites).
       Do you know what Varroa mites look like.  They are visible to the
naked eye in a mite-infested colony as shiny, chestnut-colored spots,
often on the thorax of a bee.  The spot doesn't appear in the same place
on every bee so the spot (the mite) is not a part of bee anatomy.
Tim
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Tim Sterrett
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(southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA