In message <[log in to unmask]>, Chris Allen
<[log in to unmask]> replies to my original posting of
>>I even know one
>>bee-keeper who puts a dash of creosote down the internal joints of the
>>hives - says it kills wax moths
>
by asking
>Fascinationing!!  Can you tell us more about this?
 
Well.....this is a chap of almost eighty who taught me bee-keeping some
four or fivr years ago. He runs about thirty hives and recons he makes
enough to replace his car regularly and run it in the meantime!!! He has
won top (and I mean TOP) prizes at honey shows throughout the country
(UK), including the National. I've seen him win 90% of the classes at
our county show, including light, dark and medium honey, heather, comb
honey, wax, mead, candles. I'm sure you get the picture.
 
He treats his hives as they need it, about every five years I would
estimate, by painting outside with creosote and then leaving them over
the Winter for the odour to dissipate. When he's done with each hive he
runs the brush (which will be fairly dry at this point) dowm the four
inside corners. You can see where this has happened as there is a half-
inch shaded area to each side of the joint. His theory is that this
corner joint is a favourite for wax moth eggs, and the creosote makes it
unattractive for long enough to cut down on infestation considerably.
 
The other thing that he does, that he reckons helps, is to store his
supers outside, wet (i.e. with remains of honey), all winter. He never
uses any anti-wax-moth chemicals.
 
I have to say, his hives are almost completely free of wax moth.
--
Alyn W. Ashworth
Lancashire & North-West Bee-Keepers' Association. UK.
(but I don't speak on their bee-half)