Wax moth Ognevka: how to fight

Keeping bees is not only a hobby and obtaining delicious nectar, but also hard work, as the hives are often infected with various diseases. Wax moth is a common pest that causes great damage to the apiary. The moth itself is harmless, the larvae pose the greatest threat. They eat honeycombs, honey, perga, propolis and spoil bee cocoons. When a wax moth appears in the hive, the swarm immediately leaves its home.

What is a “wax moth”

The wax moth is a moth-shaped, nocturnal moth from the Firefly family, with which beekeepers fight every year.

The life cycle of an insect consists of 4 stages:

• egg;
• Caterpillar;
• pupa;
• an adult.

The attitude towards this insect is different. Some fight it, others deliberately breed it. This is explained by the fact that the larvae, eating the product of beekeeping, absorb all the useful substances. As a result, the insect becomes useful and can save you from many ailments. But to make a natural remedy, you have to sacrifice an entire hive. Only industrial farms can grow caterpillars, mostly beekeepers are waging a merciless fight against this insect.

What does a wax moth look like

In nature, there are 2 types:

1. Large wax moth – a large insect, with a wingspan of 3,5 cm. The front pair of wings is painted dark yellow, the rear ones are beige.
2. Small wax moth – the wingspan is 2,5 cm; the front wings are gray-brown, the hind wings are off-white.

In an adult, the mouth organs are not developed, so it does no harm. Her role is to procreate. Larvae, on the contrary, eat everything in their path, even their excrement, eating for life.

wax moth larvae

The caterpillar develops for 4 days. When hatched, it reaches a length of 1 mm, has 16 legs and a pair of bristles on the back side. After birth, she is inactive, feeding on honey and pollen. Then it begins to move actively and eat everything in its path.

A light white caterpillar with a dark head makes its way along the edges of the combs and in the walls of open cells. During the entire life cycle, an adult larva eats up to 1,3 g of wax. On the one hand, this is not so much, but 3 generations of 5 pairs of moths can destroy up to 500 kg of land per season.

If the pest has settled in the bee house, then the queen bee will stop laying eggs, and the bees will no longer bring honey. When an insect appears, the bees begin to fight it, but in just a few hours there are a lot of parasites and some shaggy workers miss some clutches. If you do not start a timely fight, the bee colony will leave the hive.

At what temperature do wax moths die?

Since the wax moth is a nocturnal butterfly, it is afraid of sunlight. This photophobia can be applied as an insect control. To do this, the sushi affected by the larvae is exposed to the sun and after 2-3 minutes the larvae leave their home. If the combs are left at a temperature of 10 ° C, then a large wax moth at all stages of the life cycle will die in an hour and a half.

Small moth causes less damage to combs, develops at a temperature of 30 ° C. At temperatures below 16 ° C and above 35 ° C, the eggs die.

What is dangerous pest for bees

The night butterfly is one of the main pests of the beekeeper, causing great damage to the household. It affects weak families, improperly formed layers and tinder families. At night, the parasite lays eggs, from which voracious larvae appear, which feed on honey, bee bread, hive insulation and honeycombs. They also harm the brood. When the parasite colonizes, bee families begin to get sick, may die or leave their home.

Wax moth control methods

Before you get rid of the wax moth in beehives with bees, you need to know the causes of the appearance and signs of parasitism.

The signs include:

• performance degradation;
• bees are lethargic, rarely fly out for nectar;
• cream worms appear at the bottom;
• in the compartments you can find moth feces resembling onion seeds;
• at the bottom of the hive there are a large number of dead bees, when viewed from insects, the wings and legs are shrouded in a thin cobweb;
• if you bring a burning match to the notch, and then gently shake the bee dwelling, you can see small larvae at the bottom of the hive.

The following factors can provoke the appearance of parasites:

• non-compliance with cleanliness in the hives;
• weak bee family;
• high humidity;
• the family was left without a queen;
• high temperature in the winter hut;
• untimely removal of dead bees in compartments.

The bee house needs timely cleaning. Often, when harvesting, larvae, wax moth excrement are found in bee bread, in which case it is necessary to empty the hive, thoroughly clean and disinfect it.

If a cluster of cobwebs has formed between the combs, it means that the insect has made a nest for itself, where it lays its eggs. When a honeycomb is found, it is removed from the hive, the site of infection is well treated. In place of the old cells, new ones are installed. Do not use combs from other bee houses, as they can also be infected with the parasite.

There are several ways to deal with wax moth in hives:

• chemical;
• physical;
• folk remedies.

Preparations for wax moth

Many beekeepers use a chemical method to combat wax moths. The medicine can be purchased at any pharmacy.

1. Formic acid – for each body use 14 ml of the drug. After 1,5 weeks, the procedure is repeated. Honeycombs are ready for use after 7 days of airing.
2. sulfuric gas – per 1 sq. m of the room burn up to 50 g of sulfur. Processing is carried out indoors. The treatment is repeated several times, every 14 days. The drug is harmful to humans, so insect control is carried out in a respirator. Before using the hive, it is thoroughly ventilated. Sulfur can be harmful to health, no matter how the bees clean the cells, particles of the chemical element still remain. A persistent smell hovers in the hive for a long time. When collecting honey, there is a possibility of sulfur getting into the bee product.
3. Vinegar – 1 ml of 200% of the preparation is required for 80 hive. The fight is carried out 5 days in a row. Honeycombs are ready for use 24 hours after airing. Vinegar will not only get rid of insects, but also disinfect the hive.
4. Ascomolin – take 10 tablets per 1 frame, wrap in material and place inside the house, the honeycombs are not removed from the hive. The hive is wrapped in polyethylene and left for a day. Frames are ready for use 24 hours after airing.
5. Paradichlorobenzene (antimol) – the medicine is placed between the frames at the rate of 150 g per cubic meter. Processing is carried out for 7 days, after which the hive is ventilated for a week.
6. Biosafe – for the fight use the drug in the form of a freshly prepared aqueous suspension. Spraying of honey-pergo sushi is carried out at the rate of 30 ml for each street. The effect occurs in a day, the drug is valid for a year.
7. Enterobacterin – honeycombs are sprayed with 3% preparation at the rate of 25 ml per 1 frame at a temperature of 30 °C. The moth begins to eat the wax soaked in the solution and dies. The drug does not harm bees and brood.
8. Thymol – an effective drug to combat the nocturnal butterfly. The powder is poured into a gauze bag and placed on top of the frame. The treatment is carried out 2 times, but at a temperature of 26 ° C, the preparation is removed from the hive.

What if the moth is in a beehive with bees

If white worms appeared near the hive – this is the first sign of the presence of a wax moth in the hive, the bees begin to fight it on their own. Such a dwelling needs control and treatment. To do this, sweet traps are placed nearby – they attract the parasite, night butterflies drown in them, not having time to reach the bee dwelling.

If the hive is heavily infected, then the bee family is moved to another dwelling, adding a small amount of food to the new combs. After moving the bees, the bottom is cleaned of caterpillars, cobwebs, other debris and doused with fire. To do this, use a bunch of straw or a blowtorch. Fire process corners, cracks, bottom and tray.

How to deal with wax moth in a cell store

A cell storage is a room for storing spare cells. They should be located at every responsible beekeeper. Sometimes they are kept in a cellar, basement or unheated garage. To prevent the appearance of parasites, regular disinfection and prophylaxis against wax moths are carried out.

In honeycombs, wax moth appears at high temperature and humidity, as well as poor ventilation.

Stopmoth is a common medicine for combating wax moth in a honeycomb. The drug is a small cardboard plate, impregnated with fir and coriander oil. The drug has an insecticidal effect and affects moths at different stages of development.

Instructions for combating wax moth with Stopmol for bees:

1. Affected combs are removed from the hive.
2. Open the package and on each plate make 4 holes in the corners with a size of 1 cm.
3. The drug is laid out on honeycomb frames and packed in polyethylene or stored in airtight honeycomb storage.
4. To completely get rid of insects, you need to use 12 plate for 1 frames.
5. The course of treatment is 1,5 months, after which the plate is removed, and the frames are ventilated.

How to get rid of wax moth on frames

If a mass infection occurs, it is necessary to immediately begin the fight against the pest. Beekeepers use a mechanical, chemical method or cope with folk remedies.

How to save dry land from wax moth

Particular attention is paid to the storage of sushi in late summer, early autumn. In winter, due to lower temperatures, the likelihood of parasites is minimal. Therefore, in spring and early summer, wax moth does not bring big problems to beekeeping. In the summer, the parasite begins to actively multiply, if you do not carry out prevention, then the consequences can be disastrous.

Starting in July, the frames must be carefully checked. Dry land where the pest has just started can be rearranged into a strong family or, after isolation, treated against the parasite in one of the proven ways.

To prevent mass infection, it is necessary to know that the wax moth primarily infects frames with brood, as well as with a large amount of perga. Therefore, store frames, where brood never happens, are stored separately. They store sushi in empty hives, laying oilcloth or polyethylene between the buildings.

Special attention is paid to frames from under brood and bee bread: they regularly inspect and, if necessary, start a timely fight against parasites.

How to deal with wax moth folk remedies

Experienced beekeepers do not use chemicals to get rid of wax moths, but fight it with folk remedies. Proven ways to deal with wax moth:

1. Tobacco – a strong natural medicine to combat wax moth. During flowering, tobacco is cut at the root and transferred between the combs. From one bush there is enough foliage to process 3 buildings.
2. Marigold – flowers are laid out in a honeycomb storage. Their fragrance prevents wax moth infestation.
3. Fumigation with smoke – an old proven way to get rid of wax moths. To do this, the land is fumigated with smoke from a smoker. In a container lined with tin, frames are placed in several tiers. Through the lower notch fill the space with smoke. The burning is maintained for a day. This procedure is carried out in spring and late autumn, 3 times with an interval of 7 days. If the combs are infected, the caterpillars will begin to die on the second day of the fight. After the procedure, the frames are ventilated, and shaggy workers willingly use the treated combs.
4. Sagebrush – the frames in the cell storage are surrounded on all sides with fresh wormwood. The smell of grass repels parasites.
5. Fragrant Herbs – freshly picked mint, wormwood, oregano, hops and walnut leaves are cut and laid out on the bottom of the bee dwelling. The frames are set, another layer of chopped grass is laid on top. Freshly picked fragrant grass is indispensable in the fight against wax moth.
6. Mint infusion – 30 g of grass is diluted in 50 g of boiling water and insisted all night. The solution is processed by the streets between the frames. Infusion for bees is harmless. After processing, they work in the same mode, and the butterfly larvae fall off. A week later, the procedure is repeated.
7. Garlic – in the fall, before cleaning the combs in the cell storage, they are cleaned of propolis and rubbed with garlic. Hulls and empty hives are also treated with garlic. In the spring, repeat the prophylaxis. After processing, the wax moth does not appear in the apiary, the bees are healthy and highly productive.
8. Salt – a folk way to deal with a night butterfly. For processing, the frames are cleaned, sprayed with saline and put away for storage. In the spring, the frames are washed with water and installed in the hives. After saline solution, parasites do not settle in bee houses.

A set of preventive measures

In order not to encounter a problem, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures:

• keep the apiary and hives clean;
• at the first sign, it is time to start fighting the wax moth in the hive;
• timely troubleshoot: repair frames, seal cracks and cracks;
• keep the wax in a closed container and recycle as soon as possible;
• reserve combs should be stored in a dry, cool, ventilated area.

Also, experienced beekeepers plant plants next to bee dwellings that repel insects. These include:

• mint;
• Melissa;
• marigold;
• sagebrush.

To prevent the moth from entering the hive, traps are installed around the perimeter. A mixture of honey, bee bread and yeast is poured into bowls. Also, the moth is attracted by the smell of vinegar. It is bred in water and also placed next to the dwelling. To prevent the larvae from crawling into a clean hive, a small ditch with water is made around the hive.

Frames should be inspected regularly for parasites. Upon detection, they immediately begin a fight to save the bee colony.

Wax – attracts wax moths, so you can not keep stocks where shaggy workers live. In order to protect the hive from the transition of larvae from one body with dry land to another, polyethylene, oilcloth or newspaper are laid on the lid (the smell of printing ink repels moths).

Conclusion

Wax moth is a dangerous enemy for the apiary. But if the hives are kept clean and timely preventive measures are taken, the insect will not harm the bees and will not create problems for the beekeeper.