Are they getting ready to swarm or are they just warm?

I know this is kind of late in the year for a swarm, but I’ve already had one. It happened right around July 4th. When I checked it on August 18, I noticed there were almost no bees in there and almost no honey.

So, I’m nervous about another swarm.

When I checked them again on August 25, the one hive was doing great. Lots of honey, lots of action. But there was some weird stuff in there that it turns out was wax moth larvae.

So this weekend, I’m going to get myself a pair of needle nose pliers and start picking those things out. I hope its not too late.

As for the moths themselves, I found a homemade recipe for attracting and killing moths. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 two-liter plastic bottle
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 banana peel

Directions

1. Cut a one-inch hole right below the taper in the top of the bottle.
2. Boil water and add sugar to dissolve. Let cool.
3. Add mixture to bottle, along with vinegar and banana peel.
4. Let ferment for a day or two.
5. Hang near hives.

I’m told this will attract moths into the bottle, where, like the roach motel, they can check in, but they can’t check out. Same goes for wasps.

I’m checking it out now. Saw a bunch of wasps in there and some fruit flies. But no wasps, although I wasn’t looking very hard  because it was almost dark.