# what is this? Wax moth larve?



## justin (Jun 16, 2007)

yeah they are wax moth larvae. if the bees have more room than they can defend you could shrink them down to a defendable size. them bieng on the bottom board may mean that the bees are cleaning them out of the equipment, especially if this is a newly installed nuc or package. any equipment you have should be inspected pretty quickly so your comb doesn't get ruined. the safest place for drawn comb is in a healthy hive, but since thats not always possible do a search for wax moths on here. there are several options ranging from toxic chemicals, nontoxic chemicals, biological controls, to storing them in the open which makes them unattractive to moths, but not mice. hope that helps. justin


----------



## jsharum (Mar 29, 2010)

these came from a swarm. There were 4 frames of wax comb from the guy that hived them and the rest are on one piece plastics. I guess we can yank the frames of wax and then what?


----------



## Rohe Bee Ranch (Feb 12, 2008)

I think they look more like Small Hive Beetle larva. Of course I could be wrong. Here is a the reference picture I used.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=18993


----------



## Wade B (Apr 16, 2010)

Roll one between your finger tips, if it feels leathery and craws off afterward, you have small hive beetles. If instead you get messy finger tips you have wax moths. If it is wax moths, which I believe it is, shrink the box and place the wax (frames) you pull in the freezer for at least 12 hours. Afterwards store in the open or with para-moth as instructed. 

Wade B


----------



## acb's (Apr 14, 2007)

I might have to go with Rohe on this one. Thankfully I haven't had to deal with SHB firsthand yet, but I took these pics of wax moth larvae I found last year on top of an inner cover. Yours appear rather "spiny" compared to these.
Arvin


----------

