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Date: | Fri, 30 Nov 2001 19:10:37 -0500 |
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Steve J. Hanlin of the USDA said:
> I am presently using para-moth (p-Dichlorobenzene) crystals...
> Last week we were inspected by the University's "safety, health
> and environmental" service...
> The inspector also recommended that I contact other beekeepers
> to discuss other products which can or are being used for the
> control of wax moth. So my question is what other products
> can be used for wax moth control?
Gee, you mean that there ISN'T a USDA pamphlet on this subject? :)
Here's my (incompete) list, from most expensive to cheapest:
Temperature - As you pointed out, cold storage works wonders.
Maybe you have a cold-storage facility there.
CO2 - Works great, but it is hard to get a good gas-tight
seal on a room, and harder to get a gas-tight seal
when "wrapping" a stack of supers with plastic.
Parasitic Wasps - ("Trichogramma") There are several sources,
one being March Biological
http://www.marchbiological.com They send
you "cards" of eggs, which hatch out, and prey
upon the egg and larval stages of the wax moth.
Not cheap, but certainly non-toxic.
Light and Air - Not a 100% certain method, but exposure to
light and ventilation is said by many to do the
trick. A couple of 100-watt fluorescent lights
can brighten things up.
Banana-Peel Traps - This does nothing for any wax moth eggs
that might hatch out, but one can trap
the adult moths with the old trick of
a container with a banana peel, a
cup of white vinegar, and a cup of
sugar.
Anyone else have anything?
jim
farmageddon
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