A Master Class in Beekeeping - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 81

WAXMOTH :Thesefemalemoths( Galleria mellonella )canfindtheirwayintoahive
during a summer night by slipping past the guard bees right at the entrance. Females
lay eggs inside the hive, eat honey and pollen, and chew through beeswax, leaving be-
hind nasty tunnels and a cobweblike mess. They can even chew on the woodenware
andspincocoonsthataredifficultforthebeestoremove.Often,waxmothswillinvade
the frames after they have been removed from the hives while they are being stored in
a warm place prior to the removal of the honey. Freezing your honey-filled frames for
three to five days kills the moth eggs because they do not tolerate cold temperatures.
Beekeeping suppliers offer a variety of treatments for wax moth.
Recipe for Grease Patties
MAKES 8-10 PATTIES
INGREDIENTS :
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
1 oz. peppermint or wintergreen essential oil
overmediumheatinalargepan,meltvegetable shortening.Whentheshort-
ening turns clear, add the sugar. Mix well until the sugar is completely dis-
solved.Turnoffflameandaddthepeppermintoil.Stirwell.Letcool.Spoon
¼ cup of the mixture between two pieces of wax paper and flatten to make
one patty. Continue to make patties until you've used up the mixture. Freeze
the patties until you're ready to use them. Place one patty on the top bars
between your two hive bodies in early spring.
SMALL HIVE BEETLE (SHB) : These dark brown to black-colored beetles ( Aethina tu-
mida ) are native to South Africa, but were found in Florida in 1988. Typically prefer-
ring warmer climates, they find their way into weak colonies and will eat live brood
and honey. Honeybees cannot fight back or sting them through their hard shell. Female
SHBs lay up to five hundred eggs at a time, overwhelming the colony, and the beetle
larvae spread slimy mucous around the hive. Sometimes these vermin can cause dam-
age similar to that of wax moths, leaving an awful smell of fermentation in a hive, an
indication of infestation. Spiky larvae in and on the combs en masse cause lots of dam-
age. Beekeeping suppliers offer a variety of treatments for SHB.