Comments on: Wax Moths: Truly Revolting Opportunists

By: beegirl211

beegirl211 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Wax moths are the worst!! We had them invade when we lost our hives a few years ago. TOTAL mess!! I’ve just bagged the frames of one of the hives we lost so far this winter to keep them out. So sorry to hear about your loss. Deck sealer?

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:31:44 +0000

I’ve made arrangements locally to get two Russian nucs, plus I’ll be getting a package of Buckfast bees from Weaver in Texas. We have nothing against Italians; we just want to try some unfamiliar honeybee breeds just to see how they do.

We expand our apiary each spring as a matter of course. We still have three new hives, still looking strong as winter approaches.

It’s a discouraging loss, but no one gives you a medal for quitting. So on we go …

I think the infestation was even worse than yours, based on what I saw in your video. There were thousands of larvae in the comb, of all sizes. They had literally pushed the surviving bees out of the hive, which was how we discovered the infestation. Nothing gets your attention like hundreds of bees suddenly hanging around the outside of the hive, on the grass. It was like they didn’t know what to do.

By: Chantal

Chantal — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:15:19 +0000

Ouch! Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear it.

Did you find them almost mesmerizing in their destruction?

And will you order a new package this spring?

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:32:29 +0000

I now feel your pain.

We lost a hive about 10 days ago to wax moth larvae. The hive was just five about a month ago. The colony must have lost its queen, and the moths took over.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:23:27 +0000

Hi mistress beek,

I was so excited to find your beautiful photos of the rooftop beekeeper on flickr, having just built a top bar hive for my first colony next season. Then I was very sad, having found your blog, to hear of loss of your bees to pesticides and moths. A tale of our times… Here’s wishing you and your girls a strong rebound!

Best,

Will

By: Jerry Anderson

Jerry Anderson — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:36:13 +0000

Once again, great pictures. Please post this on the Yahoo group site. So many people don’t know what to look for.

This is a major learning year, que no?

By: Gordo

Gordo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:52:17 +0000

Oh, that’s horrible! I’ll keep my fingers crossed.