Wax Moth Traps and Control: What Actually Works

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Most “wax moth traps” sold online are pheromone traps for pantry or clothes moths, and they do not attract wax moths. A homemade bottle trap baited with vinegar, sugar and banana peel catches some adult moths, but it will not save your comb on its own. Real wax moth control comes from four things: strong colonies, hives sized to the bees, freezing frames, and storing supers in light and moving air. For drawn comb in storage, paradichlorobenzene (Para-Moth) or a Bt product finishes the job.

Do wax moth traps work?

Only up to a point. Here is what is on offer and what each one does:

How to make a DIY wax moth trap

The recipe most beekeepers use is simple. Take an empty 2-liter soda bottle and cut a hole about 1 in wide just below where the neck slopes. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of white sugar and 1 cup of vinegar, then drop in a banana peel cut into strips. Cap it, shake it and let it start fermenting for a few days. Hang it a few feet from the hives or in the shed where you store equipment. Moths crawl in for the smell, fall into the liquid and drown.

Empty and rebait the trap every couple of weeks. It also catches other insects, and a bottle full of moths is a warning that you need to check your hives and stored boxes, not proof that the problem is solved.

Greater vs lesser wax moth

Two species cause the damage. The greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) is the big one: adults are about 3/4 in long and gray-brown, and the larvae grow to around an inch. The lesser wax moth (Achroia grisella) is smaller, about 1/2 in, silvery-gray with a yellowish head. Both lay eggs in cracks in the hive, and it is the larvae that eat comb. They are after the cocoons, pollen and other debris in old brood comb, not the wax itself, which is why dark brood frames get destroyed first and new foundation is rarely touched.

Wax moths thrive in warm weather and stop developing in the cold, so they are mostly a summer and early fall problem, and a year-round one in the South. For the biology in more depth, see wax moths, the unseen danger in your beehive.

Signs of wax moth damage

• Silk webbing across the comb and between frames, often full of black, pepper-like droppings.
• Tunnels through the comb, leaving it crumbly and ragged.
• Bald brood (galleriasis): lines of capped brood where the bees have pulled the cappings off, leaving pupae with their heads showing. Larvae tunneling under the cells cause it.
• Cocoons in the wood: tough white cocoons stuck to frames and box walls, often in boat-shaped hollows the larvae chew into the timber.
• Grayish-white larvae on the bottom board or in stored boxes. Small hive beetle larvae look similar but have rows of spines and no webbing; see small hive beetle to tell them apart.

How to get rid of wax moths in the hive

A strong colony patrols its comb and throws out moth eggs and larvae. Heavy wax moth damage in a live hive almost always means the colony was already weak from queenlessness, mites, disease or a swarm. Treat the moths as a symptom:

• Keep colonies strong. Monitor and treat for varroa (see varroa mite treatments), and check for a laying queen. A queenless hive goes downhill fast.
• Do not give bees more space than they can patrol. A weak colony in two deeps leaves whole frames unguarded. Take away empty boxes, or combine it with another colony.
• Reduce the entrance of small colonies so they can defend it.
• Remove badly damaged frames, freeze them to kill every stage, then scrape out webbing and cocoons. Bees will rebuild partly damaged comb.
• Keep the apiary clean. Do not leave scraps of comb or spare frames lying around.

If a hive has collapsed and is full of webbing, the colony is gone. Freeze what comb can be saved, melt down the rest, and scrape and scorch or clean the boxes before reuse.

Freezing frames to kill wax moths

Freezing kills eggs, larvae, pupae and adults, and it leaves no residue. Mid-Atlantic extension guidance (MAAREC) gives about 2 hours at 5 °F (-15 °C) or about 4.5 hours at 20 °F (-7 °C), counted from when the comb itself reaches that temperature. The Hive and the Honey Bee recommends 24 hours at 5 °F. Because a stack of frames takes hours to cool through, most beekeepers leave them in a chest freezer for 24–48 hours. Check the freezer with a thermometer rather than trusting the dial.

Freezing does not protect comb afterwards. Once frames thaw, moths can lay on them again, so put them straight into a sealed box, back on a strong hive, or into protected storage.

Storing supers without wax moths

Stored drawn comb is where most wax moth losses happen, because no bees are guarding it. Start by sorting: honey supers that never held brood are far less attractive to moths than dark brood comb.

• Light and airflow. Wax moth larvae avoid light and moving air. Stack honey supers in a criss-cross pattern, each box turned 90° to the one below, in a bright, dry shed or barn. Some beekeepers add a queen excluder or screen at top and bottom to keep mice out.
• Cold. In climates with freezing winters, supers stored in an unheated building are safe while temperatures stay low. Freeze or check them before spring warms up.
• Sealed stacks. Freeze first, then store in a tight stack sealed with tape or bags so no moth can get in.
• Chemical or biological protection for brood comb and warm climates: PDB or B402, below.

For timing and preparation, see when and how to store honey supers safely.

Para-Moth (PDB) for stored comb

Paradichlorobenzene (PDB) is a crystal that gives off a vapor wax moths cannot tolerate. It is the only moth crystal to use on beekeeping equipment. It goes on stored, empty comb only: never in a hive with bees, and never with honey you plan to eat, as wax and honey absorb the vapor. Air treated boxes out for a few days before bees go back on them. Always follow the label.

Never use naphthalene mothballs. Naphthalene is toxic to bees and contaminates comb for good. Read the ingredients: PDB and naphthalene products look alike on the shelf.

Mann Lake Para-Moth Wax Moth Treatment, 1 lb (for stored comb)

Para-Moth is the paradichlorobenzene (PDB) crystal sold by beekeeping suppliers for protecting stored drawn comb. It comes in a 1 lb canister, which lasts several seasons for a small apiary. To use it, stack your empty supers, put about 3 oz of crystals on a paper plate on the top bars of the stack, and cover the stack so the vapor stays in.

It is for stored equipment only. Never use it in a hive with bees or on combs holding honey you plan to eat. Before the supers go back on a colony, air them out for a few days until the smell has gone. Top the plate up as the crystals evaporate over the storage season, and follow the label.

• Good: PDB, the correct moth crystal for beekeeping equipment; 1 lb canister; simple to use on stacked supers; widely reviewed
• Watch for: Stored empty comb only, never live hives or honey for eating; supers must be aired out for a few days before use.

What about B401 and B402 Certan?

Certan is a biological larvicide based on Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai (Bt), a bacterium whose toxin kills moth caterpillars but, used as labeled, does not harm bees. You dilute it and spray it on drawn comb before it goes into storage. The older B401 formulation is sold outside the US and was not available to American beekeepers for years. The current US product is B402, which is registered with the EPA for controlling wax moths on frames stored for winter, and is sold by US beekeeping suppliers. It is a good choice for brood comb if you would rather not use PDB.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best wax moth trap?

A homemade bottle trap with vinegar, sugar and banana peel is the only trap that attracts wax moths, and it catches only some adults. Pheromone moth traps sold for pantries and closets target other species. Put your effort into strong colonies and good super storage instead.

How long do you freeze frames to kill wax moths?

Extension guidance gives about 2 hours at 5 °F once the comb reaches that temperature, but frames take a long time to chill through. Leaving them in a chest freezer for 24–48 hours is the safe, common practice.

Can a colony recover from wax moths?

Yes, if the colony still has a laying queen and enough bees. Remove the damaged frames, shrink the hive to what the bees can cover, and fix whatever made it weak. A colony that has dwindled to a handful of bees is usually better combined with a strong one.

Are mothballs safe to use on bee frames?

Only PDB crystals such as Para-Moth, and only on stored empty comb that is aired out before use. Naphthalene mothballs are never safe: they poison bees and leave residue in the wax.

Do wax moths hurt bees?

They do not attack adult bees, but their larvae destroy comb and can damage brood by tunneling under cappings. In a strong hive they are a minor nuisance. In a weak or dead hive, or in stored boxes, they can ruin every frame in a few weeks of warm weather.

Wax moths are one of many threats; see honey bee pests, parasites and predators and our bee care guides for the rest.