The Wax Moth is a very destructive insect pest in the beehive. The adult moth is a heavy bodied small moth about ½” to ¾” long, wings vary in color from grayish to brown and the underside is light gray. The mated females will fly into a colony 1 to 3 hours after dark and lay their eggs and then leave before daylight. The eggs are laid in masses and are light in color.

Most beekeepers are unaware of this activity until they see the fat white larvae that reach about 1” in length. The larvae are pointed on both ends and have a brown head. They prefer dark comb because it is rich in hive debris which is a higher quality of food for them. They will remain in the larval state for at least 18 days and up to 3 months. While spinning their cocoon they will chew out oval depressions in your hive bodies, inner covers and frames. If left unchecked they will not only destroy the comb but will do much damage to the wooden parts as well. The webs from the spinning of cocoons can cover a frame and dark fecal pellets can be seen throughout. If you pull a frame out of your hive that is covered in this web, it has gone too far and you will need to take immediate action.

There are no chemicals approved to kill these wax worms while in your hive. Depending on the extent of the problem you have several options; remove the infected super and add it to a very strong colony that will clean it up, place the comb inside a plastic bag and place in a freezer for 2 days, or some in the deep south, will place the infested combs over a fire ant nest for a day or so to clean up.

The only sure way to keep this from becoming a problem in your hive is to keep your bees strong and healthy and they will manage them successfully on their own. Many beekeepers believe the wax moth has caused their bees to die, but actually the hive has become weakened for some other reason and the wax worms are really the clean up crew.

If you make cut comb honey it is necessary to freeze your comb for at least 2 days, this will kill the eggs and prevent them from hatching inside the packaging.

Extracting supers can be treated with Paradichlorobenzene (PDB). Simply stack the extracted dry supers about 5 high (hive bodies) or 10 high (supers) and place 6 oz. of the crystals on top of a square of newspaper in the top super. It is necessary to make sure that all cracks are taped shut; you are basically making a fumigation chamber. Check your stacked supers every 6 weeks if you live in a warm climate as the moths may get back into the stacked supers and lay more eggs when the PDB has vaporized. Make sure that the supers are aired out for several days before placing back on the hive. Use only the PDB, DO NOT use commercially available moth balls; it has other chemicals that are unsafe for bees and humans.