# Larvae in tray - **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [August 4, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006 "2020-08-04T15:13:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marc1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Marc1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Marc1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/1 "2020-08-04T15:13:50Z")
I am posting pics of my two bottom trays Upon inspection I found several live larvae in trays Any thoughts on how to respond? Is it something I need to worry about? Thanks as always ---
**Author:** ![Marc1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Marc1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Marc1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/2 "2020-08-04T15:17:56Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/2/5/2564b8ea67839597b95f90f7cc70c90672c77b1b.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Marc1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Marc1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Marc1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/3 "2020-08-04T15:20:27Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/1/7/17d0920edc90398f4855a5b9b096872102bdc784.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Marc1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@Marc1](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Marc1)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/4 "2020-08-04T15:35:57Z")
![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/3/1/31781ba3f18aef74f08586658cc1ec79645d78d4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/5 "2020-08-04T16:46:58Z")
> [@Marc1](#): > > Any thoughts on how to respond? > Is it something I need to worry about? Those look like wax moth larvae. Wax moths are a fact of life in beekeeping. The bees will control them if the hive is strong. One thing you can do to help is keep your plastic tray clean, so that there is nothing for the larvae to eat in a place where the bees can’t reach them. 😊 I would suggest rinsing it out once every week or two. ---
**Author:** ![ABB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/abb/32/24614_2.png) [@ABB](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/ABB)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/6 "2020-08-04T16:51:20Z")
Hi @Marc1, It would be better if you could post a photo of larvae close up picture. Otherwise it is too small to see. Most likely it was wax moth. Anyway here is how greater wax moth larvae looks: ![2020-08-05_003718](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/2/5/25635a7a3e01cbfddce34d5a08b4912cd37a1a9e.jpeg) Small hive beetle larvae: ![2020-08-05_003751](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/0/e/0e61fc30b3781650ea48595a501e8ae47d774591.jpeg) Note the difference. SHB has those horns along its spine. If it was wax moth and you haven’t seen any damaged comb during the inspection, there is no problem. Wax moth is always around and tries to get into hive. You going to find larvae here and there occasionally. Strong, healthy hive can manage it. If it was SHB, you need to manage it. There are many variants of SHB traps available. Have you seen any small bugs running around hive like one on picture? If yes, take action rather soon. ![2020-08-05_003821](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/3X/9/c/9cad8567a4ece9231cb237ce4979e0d1bc869403.jpeg) Good luck! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peter48](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/peter48/32/14625_2.png) [@Peter48](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Peter48)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/7 "2020-08-04T21:32:14Z")
The pics are good Mark but a close-up shot of the larvae is need before I would give my opinion. It could be wax moth or SHB so an inspection of the frames might indicate which it is. SHB and wax moth in a hive can both become an issue, especially if the colony is not strong. I put about 3/16" of cooking oil in my trays to kill anything that falls into the tray and clean in out every 2 weeks. Cheers ---
**Author:** ![Sambees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sambees](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Sambees)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2021, 1:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/larvae-in-tray/27006/8 "2021-05-30T01:58:26Z")
Also, bees (especially VSH) may abort larvae if they sense, any number of things, wrong.