In a message dated 1/5/99 5:27:39 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
 
> Is anyone out there plagued/blessed with Wax Moths?
>  * Plagued: How do you handle/eliminate them? Why?
>  * Blessed: How do you use/profit from them? Is it a
>  by-product, or do you encourage them?
 
 
 
    Wax moths are much more of a problem in the south than the north. I
remember a yard of bees that almost all died when tracheal mites were first
introduced, that sat almost all summer in central NY, with almost no wax moth
damage to the comb. Here in South Carolina, the brood combs, at least, would
have been utterly destroyed.
 
    The best advice that is always given is to keep the bees strong and in
good shape. If a colony is weak, they will come under attack immediately in
hot weather. You will see the moths hanging around the entrances in the
evening. Strong hives pretty much keep them out, though a few get in to lay
some eggs. Strong hives will toss out the worms after they hatch, as well.
 
    When a colony becomes weak, or dies out in hot weather, you must recover
the comb quickly, and either get it onto another hive, strong enough to clean
it up, or freeze or fumigate it. In cold weather, wax moths will not enter,
although a box of brood comb, where they have already started, and have a lot
of insulating webbing, will permit the worms to clump together and keep
working at a slower pace through winter. I think northern winters will kill
them though.
 
       Some South Carolina beekeepers put out traps for the moths. I don't
remember the recipe for the bait, but the trap is designed pretty much like a
yellow jacket trap, made from a plastic soda bottle or milk jug.
 
   Keith Delaplane has done quite a bit of work on wax moths, and his articles
have been in the American Bee Journal. Search back issues for more info.
 
     A lady near here rain a business for quite a few years, raising wax moths
for bait. She bought honey from me as part of their feed. She had a tractor
trailer reefer box lined with shelves, and raised 'em by the millions. The
trailer was kept at about 95 degrees year around.
 
    I had thought about trying to do this myself, as the market for them is
good. But she has quit, telling me that the profit wasn't what it appeared.
The thing that always stops me, when I consider this, is the labor cost of
counting out 500 worms at a time.
 
[log in to unmask]     Dave Green  Hemingway, SC  USA
The Pollination Scene:  http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html
The Pollination Home Page:    http://www.pollinator.com
 
Jan's Sweetness and Light Shop    (Varietal Honeys and Beeswax Candles)
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