# Wax Moth in Hive **URL:** \ **Category:** Pests and Diseases\ **Created:** [November 12, 2018, 6:35am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822 "2018-11-12T06:35:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![skeggley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/skeggley/32/27522_2.png) [@skeggley](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/skeggley)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2021, 12:26am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822/21 "2021-08-16T00:26:36Z")
Hi mate, welcome to the forum. > [@Micklemus80](#): > > I see wax moth proliferates more in the winter. Actually the opposite is true, wax moth like the heat and are much less active wintertime. > [@Micklemus80](#): > > I bought the 6 frame nuc which was installed in my brand new hive 16th July this year. This is the first inspection I have done with the removal of the white 3mm sheet. there were 5 live grey caterpillars about 15 to 20mm long and they were soft. > I killed them of course and am suspicious that they came with the 6 frame nuc. It is possible they came with the nuc but this could only have been confirmed while placing the frames into their new home. > [@Micklemus80](#): > > I would find it remarkable if the hive got the wax moth after installation here, Wax moth are everywhere, their one of nature’s necessary evils.😉 If the frames were full and covered in bees then it’s unlikely they came with the nuc. > [@Micklemus80](#): > > I’ll feel more confident that as the colony gets stronger they may kill the wax moths and their larvae but those grubs were alive creeping about in the litter of wax & propolis on the catch sheet. Personally I don’t like the mesh boards as they don’t allow the bees to access the base to clean it so it is necessary to frequently clean the slider board to keep the grubs out. What to do? Condense the colony, remove the super if it is on. Coming into winter you’ll need to get the colony strong so feeding to fill the hive may also be required and clean that slider. HTH. ---
**Author:** ![Wizard](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/wizard/32/27689_2.png) [@Wizard](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Wizard)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2021, 12:31pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822/22 "2021-10-04T12:31:28Z")
I have been reading about cedar and how effective it is at repelling moths and other insects but not bees, butterflies, and ladybugs. I wonder if a drop or two of cedar oil regularly applied to the entrance/openings would act as an effective control measure. If nobody has tried it I will experiment next year when my hive count increases. ---
**Author:** ![JimM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e57/32.png) [@JimM](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/JimM)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822/23 "2021-10-07T15:16:39Z")
Wax moths will only cause problems in a very weak hive, with old brood comb that bees can’t look after. If your hive gets that weak it is likely that wasps or other conditions will finish it off. If your hive has wax moths causing problems, then there is something more serious happening in the hive that needs to be attended to. ---
**Author:** ![Eva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@Eva](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Eva)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 12:27pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822/24 "2021-10-09T12:27:53Z")
Wax moths don’t seem to mind cedar the way other pest moths do. If they did we wouldn’t see them in the cedar brood boxes many Flow owners have. I’ve seen suggestions to grow mint near hives to repel them, so maybe that helps, but ultimately it’s as Jim said - helping colonies stay strong is the best defense. ---
**Author:** ![Wizard](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/wizard/32/27689_2.png) [@Wizard](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Wizard)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822/25 "2021-10-09T14:13:45Z")
It takes a fairly high concentration of the cedar odor to repel. If we seal everything up on the outside and the bees seal up the inside, no cedar smell left in the hive to repel other insects. As the summer progressed this year I got to smell the difference first hand on my cedar hive. When I first added the beehive to the yard, anytime I was outside it smelled amazing everywhere. Now, I can’t even catch a hint of cedar smell coming from the hive. I am very confident that these wax moths and hive beetles have not adapted to withstand cedar, it has always been known as the best bug repellent here, at least by the old folks. But like I said, it take a fairly strong odor of it. Now, after seeing the ways of preventing robbers, like the wet towel trick to help mask the hive odor, has me thinking that adding cedar oil may also help mask the hives odor from robbers too. I have read where people have put cedar oil and water in a spray bottle and sprayed the inside of their hives, supposedly the bees aren’t effected but the shb, and wax moths die in moments. [Previous page](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/wax-moth-in-hive/16822.md?page=1)