# Larvae in my honey

**URL:** <https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372>\
**Category:** Pests and Diseases\
**Created:** [December 26, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372 "2018-12-26T23:03:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Davo2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Davo2](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Davo2)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 11:03pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/1 "2018-12-26T23:03:09Z")

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Hi,

I have some (SHB?) larvae in my honey. Has anyone else encountered this? I have oil in my bottom tray that gets some small hive beetles from time to time, and larvae, but not many. Any ideas on how to avoid this?

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/2/d/2d2c4331975946f7ffc962fe39da93be2c5b04f1.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Paul\_Jackson1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/paul_jackson1/32/17337_2.png) [@Paul\_Jackson1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Paul_Jackson1)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/2 "2018-12-26T23:05:31Z")

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I get this in one of my hives as well sometimes. I’m keen to find out what it is and how to deal with it as well.

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**Author:** ![Semaphore](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/semaphore/32/14994_2.png) [@Semaphore](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Semaphore)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/3 "2018-12-26T23:59:15Z")

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I use a bucket with clear tubes to extract honey- and I put a double strainer on the bucket- this strains out anything in the honey as I harvest it- making it ready to jar immediately. Also you might consider cleaning out the tubes at the bottom of the frames with a bottle brush dipped into a bucket of water a day before you harvest your frames (I do it a day before so it dries out- I leave a piece of paper towel instead of the plug overnight so it can air out).

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**Author:** ![Paul\_Jackson1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/paul_jackson1/32/17337_2.png) [@Paul\_Jackson1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Paul_Jackson1)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/4 "2018-12-27T00:18:12Z")

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Great tips Semaphore. Thank you.

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**Author:** ![Davo2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Davo2](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Davo2)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/5 "2018-12-27T01:05:12Z")

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Thanks Semaphore, I’ll try straining.

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**Author:** ![JeffH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/jeffh/32/7192_2.png) [@JeffH](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JeffH)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/6 "2018-12-27T02:51:32Z")

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It looks like a wax moth larvae but I could be wrong. It’s always best to inspect the frames before harvest. That way you’ll see the % of capped cells as well as anything like SHB larvae. Besides that, your nose will tell you if there is any SHB activity. You probably should do an inspection, just to be sure.

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**Author:** ![Davo2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Davo2](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Davo2)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 5:01am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-my-honey/20372/7 "2018-12-27T05:01:35Z")

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Thanks, I’ll do that. Appreciate your advice.