Can anyone tell me what this larva is. The wire is 3mm and there for comparison. They’ve only appeared this morning as I check the tray morning and evening. It looks too small for shb larva. I did a brood box inspection 4/10/21 and there didn’t appear to be any indication then. It’s a new hive which I supered on 24/9/21 after installing a nuc 16/9/21. The 3 new frames were all complete and some had nectar or brood in them when I supered.
I have been squashing between 1 and 6 shb a day in the tray.
They look and move like fruit fly larva.
The top one looks like wax moth larvae. The one below the wire looks like SHB larvae, however I’d like to see a close-up photo of it showing a side view to be sure.
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Hi there it looks like wax moth as Jeff was saying…My tray look the same as the moths are nesting under between the landing board (bottom part) and the tray itself… if you lay down on the ground, you remove 5 the tray, you will see there’s a small cavity right at the end of the tray just under the landing board…so just make sure every single time you inspect the tray you clean that up…in the end it’s much better having wax moth in the tray rather than elsewhere…
Hi Jeff. Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I squashed them and cleaned the tray. I’ve just been out and checked and there’s no more so can’t take a pic. That was what I thought too. The only thing that threw me was the small size. All the pics or descriptions say shb larva is 10mm. Do you suggest a brood box inspection? I was hoping to leave them alone for a while to let them get on with their work. They seem very active and are bringing in heaps of pollen and nectar and the numbers are definitely increasing dramatically…well that’s my newbie assessment.
Hi Waldats. Thank you for your reply. I went and checked and I can see what u refer to. There is a cocoon of sorts there so I will check it out and also check it from now on. Thank you for the heads up. Cheers.
Could that gap be siliconed up so it’s no longer accessible. I realise the it would adhere to the bottom screen but would that matter? If I ever wanted to remove the screen I could cut the silicone with a blade.
Hi Ken, you’re welcome. If you don’t get any further opportunities to take a photo, that’ll be a good thing I guess. I probably wouldn’t do a brood inspection at this stage, unless things deteriorate.
G’day Jeff. No further opportunities today so I’ll keep my fingers crossed they all hatched from that cocoon under the landing screen and went south. I’ll take your advice and not do an inspection atm. I’m going to seal that gap so it can’t be used again. It’s a long steep learning curve this foray into bees. Cheers.
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Ken I would consider not to seal the gap…sylicone, paints and other chemicals upset bees, and they might be harmful to their health as well…
Hi Waldats, Yes, I’d considered that but because it was on the underside of the screen I didn’t think the bees would be able to get to it. I guess the fumes might until it went off, or if it came out the edges they could so I’ll abandon the sealant fix. Maybe I’ll make a piece of aluminium or timber the shape of the gap and seal it off…or just keep it clean. Thanks for your valuable input. It’s much appreciated. Cheers. There’s been no more larva today so that’s a definite positive. Lucky they’re likable amazing little critters. They certainly absorb a lot of attention when you’re a newby.
If you are a beekeeper, they will be like a magnet…no matter what’s your stage…personally I found very relaxing watching them entering and exiting the hive…