Hi Bob A couple of comments on the vulnerability of a weak bee colony. Most creatures will succumb to specific parasites when weakened by some other factor, e.g., a worm-infested dog that will later become flea-infested. Scutellata colonies that are weak, with lots of empty but built comb, will be attacked by wax moths in warmer months. The same can be said about SHBs. But the only time I have really seen SHBs totally infest a scut hive is when capensis infestation is intermediate to advanced. By these stages, social and other order in the hive has totally broken down; the bees have even lost their natural defensive characteristics. Capensis often strikes when a colony is very large (too large for the scut queen to control), so there is often loads of brood, pollen and honey. This provides a tragic sea of plenty for the moths and SHBs, and their populations explode. I should also add that in areas where I store comb, I ensure not only access for birds, but ants as well. The honeyguides have to be kept away from direct access to comb (they will even eat foundation). The ants have access to the combs, to clean out any pollen or honey (which attract other pests), or any pest that may be breeding. Some people call these ants Argentine ants, but to me they are just very small black sugar ants. The male worker has a much larger head than the female, and they can establish gigantic colonies. Barry