How to prevent and control greater wax moth pests in honeybees? Detailed explanation of key points for beekeeping

The beekeeping industry is an important breeding industry in our country, and it can yield good economic benefits, ecological benefits, and social benefits. Raising honeybees can provide products of relatively high value such as honey, beeswax, and propolis, and can bring relatively high economic returns to beekeepers, so raising honeybees is increasingly welcomed by beekeepers. However, during the breeding process, some beekeepers, due to a lack of effective breeding management techniques, cause improper honeybee breeding management, resulting in many losses in honeybee breeding. So how can honeybee breeding prevent and control greater wax moth pests?

1. Low-temperature treatment

Through low-temperature treatment. As we said above, greater wax moths are greatly affected by temperature, so we can use the low-temperature method to eliminate greater wax moths. Freeze the bee equipment contaminated by greater wax moths. The method is treatment at -6.7°C for 4.5 h, at -12.2°C for 3 h, and at -15°C for 2 h. In this way, all greater wax moths can be killed. However, this condition may not be realistic for many friends; only relatively large professional apiaries will have such conditions.

2. Soaking in water

For small apiaries with relatively simple equipment, we can use the soaking method and place the bee equipment in water to soak, which can also kill some greater wax moths.

3. Biological treatment

Regarding methods for treating greater wax moths, there is also biological treatment, mainly using Bacillus thuringiensis. It is said that this bacillus and its toxins have no effect on treated bee colonies. Bacillus thuringiensis can be used to spray bee colonies or impregnate foundation to prevent and control the greater wax moth; next is the use of nuclear polyhedrosis virus. These methods are too high-end, and for many beekeepers they are still unrealistic. However, through the low-temperature method, replacing combs, and strong colony methods, it is believed that for many beekeeping friends these can still be achieved.

4. Chemical preparations

The use of chemical preparations is not recommended by this editor. In honeybee breeding, this editor suggests using traditional Chinese herbal medicines as much as possible, focusing on prevention. If treatment is needed, use physical therapy and Chinese herbal medicine therapy as much as possible.

Summary: During the honeybee breeding process, problems of bees getting sick are unavoidable, which have an adverse impact on the economic benefits of honeybee breeding. In order to prevent bees from getting sick, corresponding prevention and control measures should also be taken, and the cleaning work of the apiary should be done well to reduce the efficiency of disease transmission.

In the specific breeding process, once beekeepers find that bees are sick, they should immediately isolate the sick bees, and professional epidemic prevention personnel should diagnose the disease infecting the bee colony and take corresponding prevention and control measures to diagnose the sick bees. They should also disinfect the beehives and bee equipment where the sick bees are located to prevent the virus from infecting other bees.