Thomas asks:
> But what do you do with the
dark ones or with pollen remnants?
Protecting dark comb from wax moth is tough but often depends on the weather
and time of year.
In Missouri freezing weather solves the problem in late fall. Even dark comb
can sit out in spring until the wax moths reach maturity.
We have about three months when unprotected comb can be ruined by moth
damage.
Para dichlorobenzene is a poor choice for stored comb but the most used by
hobby and sideline beekeepers. I have seen much abuse and overkill when
using the product.
Common sense is to only use enough to kill moths and eggs when supers are
placed in storage and then keep the stack (or area ) sealed.
The best product in my opinion was "death house" cyanide gas. I first saw
its use at a USDA-ARS research facility many many years ago. The product was
sold by bee supply houses for years.
Most large beekeepers today use Phostoxin gas (approved for comb storage) .
A dangerous gas (like cyanide) . Both are temporary and pull all the oxygen
out of the air killing all living things in the boxes. Like recluse spiders
, roaches etc. brought in with the boxes.
In Florida I have seen supers kept in a cold environment ( 50F. & lower) but
phostoxin gas is by far the choice.
Expose can lead to a serious blood disorder (lack of white corpuscles) I
have been told. In Nebraska a company will come to the bee farm and apply
the gas.
In California a PVC tube is placed in a 40 foot storage container the the
gas is applied through the hole in the roof when the container is full.
These are a few of the methods used.
bob
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html