Composting rendered cocoons?

tjc1 · August 03, 2015, 10:34:14 PM

After rendering down a lot of old comb, I tossed the remnants into the compostor - the next day I had the terrible thought that I may have just created a breeding ground for wax moth... Anyone know anything about this?

BeeMaster2 · August 03, 2015, 10:50:36 PM

You are correct. Wax moths love old comb. If it is not buried they will find it. How hot does your composted get. I doubt if wax moths could survive above 116 degrees. Most composters cook pretty well. Help it a little by keeping it in the sun.
Jim

Michael Bush · August 04, 2015, 10:07:07 AM

Wax moths will breed no matter what you do. Don't worry about it. Actually, though, they need a particular environment which is usually a hive. They need a certain amount of humidity and stale air and dark...

tjc1 · August 04, 2015, 11:58:42 PM

Glad to get that advice, Michael - I was sitting around trying to figure out how I was going to incinerate my compost!

Eric Bosworth · August 05, 2015, 12:23:48 PM

Either I am lucky or good... (I'm thinking lucky...) I have never had an issue with wax moths... I say that and probably I will have an infestation the next time I open my hives.

tjc1 · August 05, 2015, 10:55:13 PM

I've only ever had them in stored comb, not in the hives.

Dallasbeek · August 06, 2015, 01:07:44 PM

Quote from: tjc1 on August 04, 2015, 11:58:42 PM
Glad to get that advice, Michael - I was sitting around trying to figure out how I was going to incinerate my compost!

Lost my compost bins when my neighbor put in a new retaining wall, but I had two 3'x3'x4' bins and within an hour of turning contents, the internal temp was 140 - 160 degrees F. That pretty much incinerates anything, including weed seeds or wax moth larvae. But on another post, somebody recommended mixing slumgum with sawdust and using as smoker fuel. That soinds like a win-win to me.

BeeMaster2 · August 06, 2015, 02:28:25 PM

"Lost my compost bins when my neighbor put in a new retaining wall,"
Does that mean that you had your composters on the wrong side of the property line?

Jim

Dallasbeek · August 06, 2015, 02:44:49 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on August 06, 2015, 02:28:25 PM
"Lost my compost bins when my neighbor put in a new retaining wall,"
Does that mean that you had your composters on the wrong side of the property line?
Jim

Nope. Just next to the wall that kept his yard from falling into my compost pile.

Like. ______
|
|________. With compost bins next to wall.

Eric Bosworth · August 06, 2015, 10:02:16 PM

I typically use slumgum for wood stove starter in the winter. I heat entirely with wood. For smoker fuel I use bailing twine. It's readily available from my neighbor and it's free.

BeeMaster2 · August 06, 2015, 10:25:39 PM

Eric,
Bee carefull using twine. Most of it now a days is treated with poisons to discourage rats and mice from chewing on it.
Jim

Eric Bosworth · August 09, 2015, 09:19:05 PM

I guess I will have to start using leaves and pine needles in that case.

tjc1 · August 09, 2015, 10:43:57 PM

If you know any woodworkers or woodturners, planer shavings or turning chips make the best smoker fuel! As long as it's not pressure treated wood.

Eric Bosworth · August 10, 2015, 10:48:23 AM

Quote from: tjc1 on August 09, 2015, 10:43:57 PM
If you know any woodworkers or woodturners, planer shavings or turning chips make the best smoker fuel! As long as it's not pressure treated wood.

Humm... I like that idea. I have lots of router shavings from making foundationless top bars. I also could use sawdust from when I had the portable sawmill cut up some logs.