How to Get Rid of Moths From Bee Hives

You can protect your beehive from moths.

Moths often find their ways into beehives and cause destruction. Moths, especially wax moths, look for weak hives that have a small bee population. Once they move in, they find their way into the brood combs and begin to eat the wax in these combs, then they lay their eggs there. The larvae then moves to non-brood comb and begins eating it. This destroys the combs. If you are caring for a beehive with a moth infestation, you want to treat the problem as soon as possible to minimize the damage to your hive.

Things You'll Need

• Freezer
• Soap
• Water
• 2-liter plastic soda bottle
• Electric drill
• Funnel
• White sugar
• White distilled vinegar
• Banana peel
• String

Instructions

Method One: Freezing

1. Separate combs that do not contain brood from the comb that do have brood. Take the non-brood comb frames out of your hive.

2. Put your non-brood frames into a freezer. The cold will kill developing moth larvae. In a standard freezer, you want to leave the frames for three days to kill all larvae. You can use colder temperatures to shorten your freezing time. For example, a freezer set to 20 degrees Fahrenheit will do the job in 4-1/2 hours; 10 degrees Fahrenheit will do the job in three hours; five degrees Fahrenheit will do the job in two hours.

3. Remove your non-brood frames from the freezer and allow them to sit at room temperature. You want your frames warmed up to the temperature your hive is at before reinserting them.

Method Two: Moth Traps

1. Use soap and water to clean the inside of a two-liter plastic soda bottle. Allow the bottle to dry and then replace the bottle's lid.

2. Make a one-inch wide hole in the side of the bottle using an electric drill. Place the hole at the beginning of the neck of the bottle.

3. Place the end of a funnel into the hole you created. Use the funnel to pour one cup white sugar, one cup water and 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar into the bottle. Remove the funnel and place one banana peel into the hole. If necessary, cut the peel up into pieces that will fit through the hole.

4. Place the bottle and its contents in an out-of-the-way spot for up to four days. During this time, the contents will ferment and you will notice a strong aroma coming from it. This is what you want.

5. Cut an 18-inch length of string and tie it around the neck of the bottle. Tie the other end of the string to a tree near your beehive. The smell of the fermenting mixture will attract the moths. They will enter the hole you made in the bottle to get to the mixture and not be able to find their way back out, killing them.

Tips & Warnings

• When you are not using frames, place them into plastic trash bags and tie the bags off. Another option is to use air-tight plastic storage containers. This will keep adult moths from finding them.

• As your moth trap becomes filled with dead moths, you can empty it and replace the contents with the same mixture. Make sure you allow the mixture to ferment.

References

• Bee Works: Wax Moth Control in Bee Hives
• Ohio State University: Wax Moth Control
• Bob's Beekeeping: Wax Moth in my Hives