<<<<Just wondering, as I can't find any other way to control existing wax moth
infestations since Certan has dropped off the market.>>>>>
 
The moths will always be with us and they love combs which contain cocoons
and pollen, i.e. brood combs.  They can do little damage in combs which have
contained only honey as there is insufficient protein for their development.
If you leave brood combs unattended for a day or so the moths will find them
and it is then too late to put them into store as the eggs will already be
laid.  The moths will enter the hive and attack any brood combs not covered
by the bees so the first step is to keep the colonies strong and the brood
chambers full.  Small colonies should have small broodchambers, adding extra
combs as they expand. I keep a small deep freezer in my beehouse and surplus
brood combs are put into paper sacks and given forty eight hours at -20C.
and then left sealed in the sacks until needed.  This is effective.
The larvae (we never refer to them as worms) are very tough.  I have an old
freezer I use as a fumigation chest, using aeetic acid to fumigate against
EFB and nosema.  Combs which spend two weeks in an acid atmosphere still
have live wax moth larvae in them.  I suspect that Apistan has no effect on
adult  moths or larvae.
There will always be the odd larva burrowing under the brood cappings in a
strong stock.  The trail it makes can easily be seen when inspecting and the
larva should be dug out and crushed.
The only time I have ever had an explosion of moth infestation was two years
ago when Varroa arrived and the policy was to use floor screens to detect
the arrival and progress of the mites.  The debris which piled up under the
screens proved an ideal breeding ground and I suddenly found I had as many
moths as bees.. That ended my use of screens.
The general practice here is to keep the queen in the broodchamber and not
let her wander throught the hive. All the supers are used for honey only and
thus there is no problem over storage.  Brood combs should never be stored
without treatment.                                      Sid P.
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Sid Pullinger                    Email :  [log in to unmask]
36, Grange Rd                Compuserve:  [log in to unmask]
Alresford
Hants SO24 9HF
England