What is your method of storing comb?
The most efficient method I have seen is Ian Stepplers? method. If I remember correctly he stores his in a Refer Trailer. That way he can freeze it and kill any wax moths or eggs right off the bat. Of course he has enough hives to justify this. 😊
Well I may get a chest freezer as I lost all mine this year to wax moths, I had 5 drawn supers I froze the we had a large cedar chest, last year no issues this year all gone :cry:
Quote from: jtcmedic on March 17, 2021, 03:16:08 PM
Well I may get a chest freezer as I lost all mine this year to wax moths, I had 5 drawn supers I froze the we had a large cedar chest, last year no issues this year all gone :cry:
Sorry to hear that jtcmedic. I know the feeling happened to me season before last.
I built a 4x8 "shed' with translucent roof. Hung the frames about 1 inch apart on parallel 8' rows. Six rows total.
had problems with raccoons so I added chicken wire sides. Worked ok for the past two years.
After the ladies clean them up I freeze them at below 28 degrees for a few days. Then I stack them in my closed enclosed unheated garage on a top and covered it with top. Any gapes I tape. No issues. You really need to freeze them.
ParaMoth. Would be nice to have a freeze trailer as Ian.
I freeze for a day or two, and then I put drawn blanks stacked up in boxes with a few mothballs and I tape down an inner cover on the top of the stack. I actually do this with totally empty frames too, since I had mice get in and make nests in the stacks and chew on my wood 2 years ago. Any frames with sections of capped honey or pollen I put in plastic bins.
Watch out for those tornadoes, Phillip. I see most of your state is in the particularly dangerous area.
Let the girls clean them up stack them and then store them with paramoth.
Thank you all for your responses. I agree you Mr Van. Ian has a good thing! Have any of you heard of XenTari? You can read of this on Bee Source. It is a powered microbial. According to a video that I watched recently from Ken Davis. He says it has been used by beekeepers since 2000. Its a bacterium that the worm eats and puts them out. From what I understand it is not a poison but a natural fighter of the wax worm. I do not know much about this and was wondering if any of you here might have tried this or have heard of this? It is from what I understand has been approved as safe. If any of this is wrong, please correct me.
I am not recommending this but I am wondering your thoughts on this.
https://youtu.be/fa50FhkreHw
I have used Xentari also for years. It was the only replacement for the original Certan. I will be getting my supers and comb down soon and see how it worked this winter. Requires working off a ladder and not real anxious by myself right now.
I tried B.T. or (Xentari) a couple years ago. I couldn't tell much of a difference. But I didn't track the frames very well with the increase in hive numbers that I had over the last couple years. It would probably work better with just a few hives that you could mark the frames and keep track of it.
Good thread--I've been struggling with wax moths this winter too, as well as rats chewing stored comb. Getting ready to assemble a bee shed for my equipment to clear out the garage. Need to research the XenTari...sounds promising.
Mann lake has Certan again. https://www.mannlakeltd.com/certan-5-oz-bottle?list=Category%20Listing
Up north it is easy. Winter kills everything so I left boxes of frames out in the bee yard.
Down here it is a different story although I have but a few drawn frames and presently they are left in the open under a breezeway. As yet no signs yet of them being attacked. The frames are open not in a box.
Brian,
The boxes are ok because our weather is cool enough to keep the moths from laying, for the most part. Wait another month and that will change.
Jim Altmiller
Jim we are in the 80-90's. I am in my pool.
I have a chest freezer that any comb goes in that is suspect. Other than that it all goes on para-moth. lid, Box with comb,piece of cardboard,(old beer carton cut up, 2 teaspoons of paramoth on that, another box etc. till i cant stack anymore. Start all over again I used to tape all the joints but no longer do that. But I have found the freezer to be indispensable.
Quote from: Acebird on March 19, 2021, 05:10:15 PM
Jim we are in the 80-90's. I am in my pool.
80F and 90F, sounds so warm and in the pool to boot, you bragging Ace? while us poor ol beeks North of you are chilling?
I would think with your temps, moths are laying.
Not seeing anything yet on the open frames.