The Five Lines of Defense You Need to Establish

To control wax moths, you must combine ecological regulation, physical extermination, biological intervention, and chemical treatments to form a multi-dimensional prevention and control network:

First Line of Defense – Strong Colony Management

Maintaining a strong colony is the foundation of control. With a strong colony, your worker bees can form a "cleaning squad" to actively drive away larvae and remove eggs. You should merge weak colonies on time to avoid giving wax moths an opportunity.

Every two months, replace your old combs: Dark brown combs contain a large amount of cocoons, making them ideal food for wax moth larvae. Convert the old combs into beeswax, and use a rotation system for the new ones.

Second Line of Defense – Physical Extermination

Freezing: Before storing your combs, place them in a sealed bag and freeze them in a freezer at -18℃ for 24 hours. Wipe off the condensation during thawing to prevent mold.

High-Temperature Fumigation: Use a heat gun (above 50℃) to sweep through every corner of an empty hive, with special attention to the gaps at the bottom. Ten minutes of continuous treatment can kill hidden eggs.

Sun Exposure: When the hive is empty, you can place the removed frames under the scorching sun for 2 hours. The high temperature forces the larvae to escape and inhibits egg hatching. At this time, use a hard brush to clean the grooves of your comb.

Third Line of Defense – Environmental Modification

Choose Seamless Hives: Purchase hives with a mortise-and-tenon structure first. Fill internal joints with wood wax to reduce the egg-laying sites for moths.

Weekly Cleaning of the Hive Bottom: Use a scraper to remove wax debris and dead bees from the hive bottom, and sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth (larvae will dehydrate and die when they crawl over it).

Close the Hive Entrance at Night: Since large wax moths are mainly active at night, use an adjustable hive entrance device after sunset to leave only a gap wide enough for worker bees to pass.

Fourth Line of Defense – Biological Control

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Spray: Dilute Bt at a ratio of 1:1000 and spray it along the edges of your comb and on the hive bottom. It is harmless to your bees but kills the feeding larvae.

Release of Tachinid Wasps: Tachinid wasps are parasitic natural enemies that mainly target the eggs of Lepidoptera (such as moths and butterflies). In areas with high wax moth incidence, hang tachinid egg cards around your apiary every 20 days. These tiny natural enemies will actively search for wax moth eggs to parasitize.

Fifth Line of Defense – Emergency Chemical Methods

Using wooden strips treated with Chlorantraniliprole: Hang cedar wood strips soaked in a 0.02% chlorantraniliprole solution in the corners of your hive. Each strip lasts for about 2 months. Keep them away from the bee area. Their effective period is approximately 15 days. When used properly, it theoretically won't leave residues in your agricultural products. However, since the hive is a closed environment, you should consider proper ventilation.

Formic Acid Fumigation: Wear a protective mask and gloves. Add 5ml of formic acid per hive by dripping it into a fumigator. Seal the hive for 6 hours before ventilating. This method can penetrate the comb and kill hidden larvae.