Subject: Moth Crystals for wax moths?

From: [email-masked] (Pete)
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 1995 23:18:38 -0500

Hi!

   We picked up some old hives from a relative and they were pretty well
infested with wax moths. We were wondering if, after cleaning the hives,
we could put paradichlorobenzene crystals or napthalene (moth flakes) into
the supers for a few weeks to kill any remaining moths? Can either of
these be put in with new foundations to keep them from any damage until
our bees arrive? Or maybe a bettere question would be, "Should you use
moth crystals? and if so, When, where, how and for what purposes?"

                                 thank you for any information you can give us

                                    bill sheaffer <braxton>

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From: [email-masked] (Gerard Worrell)
Date: 25 Feb 1995 23:34:14 GMT

Pete ([email-masked]) wrote:
: Hi!

:    We picked up some old hives from a relative and they were pretty well
: infested with wax moths. We were wondering if, after cleaning the hives,
: we could put paradichlorobenzene crystals or napthalene (moth flakes) into
: the supers for a few weeks to kill any remaining moths? Can either of
: these be put in with new foundations to keep them from any damage until
: our bees arrive? Or maybe a bettere question would be, "Should you use
: moth crystals? and if so, When, where, how and for what purposes?"

:                                  thank you for any information you can give us

:                                     bill sheaffer <braxton>
Don't use Napthalene! It's very toxic to the bees. Whether you use PDB 
depends on your current weather. If it is still freezing, you probably 
don't need it. Otherwise, use PDB and then air out the brood chambers for 
at least 24 hours before putting bees in them.

                        Jerry

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From: [email-masked] (bill fernihough)
Date: 26 Feb 1995 17:00:32 GMT

>                                  thank you for any information you can give us

DO NOT USE NAPTHALENE, USE THE PARADICHLOROBENZENE ONLY.  and if at all
possible, keep the hives in a cold place.  On the other hand, why not
switch to plastic foundation, such as Pierco, available from
1-800-233-2662, or Dadant sells a competitive product,See the American Bee
Journal, current issue for plastic foundation and a good article on moths
and protection procedures.
Moths can't cause any damage to plastic foundation, and if you use the
sheets of plastic, they will likely just snap into you old cleaned up
frames.
The use of napthalene could ruin your hives as it stays in the wax, but
when using the PDB, you must air out the supers for a day before putting
them on the hives, and this gives moths a chance to get started.  If you
insist on using wax foundation, keeping the hives cood, like below 50
degree F should probably eliminate problesm.

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From: [email-masked] (Allen Dick 546-2588)
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 1995 16:26:15 GMT

: :    We picked up some old hives from a relative and they were pretty well
: : infested with wax moths. We were wondering if, after cleaning the hives,
: : we could put paradichlorobenzene crystals or napthalene (moth flakes) into
: : the supers for a few weeks to kill any remaining moths? Can either of
: : these be put in with new foundations to keep them from any damage until
: : our bees arrive? Or maybe a bettere question would be, "Should you use
: : moth crystals? and if so, When, where, how and for what purposes?"

Depending how bad they are, you may be able to use them as they are.  Wax 
moth often looks much worse than it is.  Unless the combs have obvious 
large holes and you can see through them all over, the bees will often just 
fix them right up.

To destroy the moths that are in them, just exposing them continuously to
air in most localities will kill or sufficiently retard them that your
problem will go away.  There must be no protected places for the worms to
hide. 

They may look awfull, but may still be much better than foundation.  Are 
they free of AFB?  Can you tell.

AFB doesn't look half as bad as moth, but is something that will render a 
comb useless.

Allen
-- 
W. Allen Dick, Beekeeper                        VE6CFK 
Rural Route One   Swalwell   Alberta   Canada  T0M 1Y0 
Email:   [email-masked]    or   [email-masked]
Virtual Art Gallery: http://www.cuug.ab.ca:8001/~dicka

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From: [email-masked] (Bill Sheaffer)
Date: Sun, 26 Feb 1995 22:55:15 -0500

We picked up some old hives from a relative and they were pretty well
infested with wax moths....
 
   Thanks for all of the information on the killing of wax moths. They
were bad. There were no foundations left, except for one plastic
foundation. We cleaned all of the frames and scrubbed them with soap and
water. We then used a torch and heated the inside of the hives until the
wax began to melt. Our next move is probably to put in some
paradichlorobenzene until our bees arrive. 

   But with one dragon slain, so quickly others arrive in its place.

            What is AFB????????

            And other than wax moths and durability, of what value is
plastic foundation? I would think that the comb does not bond quite as
well as it would to a natural comb.

    I apologize for being a newbie-I'm trying to stop as fast as I can.

                                       Thanks, 

                                       Bill Sheaffer

-- 
_________________________________________________________
|                                                       |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |             Bill Sheaffer <Braxton>                   |                      |                                                       | 

|   "Wasting time creatively is my life's ambition"     |
|                                                       |
|                Temple U.                              |
|             Millersburg H.S.                          |
|          Millersburg Ferryboat                        |
|       Harrisburg Astronomical Soc.                    |
|         ________________________                      |
|         |                      |                      |
|         |   []  []   []  []    |   \ /                |
|         |                      |----+---              |
|---------|______________________|---/ \----------------|

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 27 Feb 1995 09:56:27 -0500

>From [email-masked] (Bill Sheaffer):

>    I apologize for being a newbie-I'm trying to stop as fast as I can.

The (lots of) good news and (a little) bad news for you.

   The good news is that you don't have to worry about wax worms in the
winter, unless you store your equipment in a warm spot and there have been
some surviving eggs.  Eggs just simply won't hatch without warmth.  At any
rate, it sounds like they have already eaten all consumable material, so
if they did hatch, they'd probably starve.
Even here in South Carolina we have little wax worm activity in winter.   

   (The exception is when they get started on a fall dieout and get a lot
in insulation from their own webbing.  They will then continue munching
slowly in an insulated group that creates its own heat, and it takes a
real cold spell to kill them.)

   Therefore you don't really need any chemical for wax worms at this
time.

    More good news:  Even if the hives did die of American foulbrood
(AFB), the wax worms have removed most of the contamination.  The majority
of the spores (zillions of them) are in the dead larvae (scale) that
remains in the bottoms of the cells.  This is preferred food for wax worms
so they tend to have a cleansing effect.  I think this is why foulbrood is
quite rare in wild bees in the south.  The wax worms clean it up so
quickly that it has only a short chance to reinfect other bees.

    One caveat:  AFB spores are everywhere, and it is still possible that
some have survived in your used equipment as well.  Be sure that you use
terramycin as recommended in the hives when you restock them.  Then check
them carefully in 4-6 weeks to see if there is any breakdown.  If you
don't know how, get your bee inspector to show you.  You probably won't
have any trouble, but if you should, nip it in the bud, quickly, before it
spreads.

   The plastic foundation others refer to is probably already formed with
the shape of the honeycomb.  I have some of this that is four years old,
and the bees have yet to use it.  You have to have a whale of a flow for
the bees to start into it.  They just don't like plastic.

   What you describe sounds like the thin smooth plastic that is at the
base of Duragilt or Duracomb foundation.  The pattern of the cells is not
embossed in the plastic, but is in the wax (which the wax worms ate).

   If that is it, simply take it out, and replace it with a new sheet. 
The bees will never rebuild on bare plastic, no matter how much you
encourage them.  They will build little bridges and make a new comb
alongside the plastic.

   I use some wired foundation, as it is no doubt the best possible frame
of brood comb there is, but mostly use Duragilt, as it just takes too much
time to wire frames.  If it becomes damaged, it is easy to pop out the
old, clean up the grooves, and pop in a new sheet.

   Since you're a newbie, I'd encourage you to work into more conventional
materials (ie regular wired or Duragilt foundation), then, experiment with
the preformed plastic ones after you have learned the ropes.  They haven't
worked for me yet, but the theoretical benefits keep encouraging me to
experiment.

[email-masked]       Dave Green
Eastern Pollinator Newsletter
PO Box 1215, Hemingway, SC  29554