Author Topic: Fly maggots?  (Read 2321 times)

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Offline tedh

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Fly maggots?
« on: August 02, 2018, 01:45:45 pm »
Hi Everyone,
My brother has a hive in his yard, the bees died over the winter.  Apparently he cleaned the hive, bottom board, two 10 frame deeps with honey in many of the frames, inner cover, tele cover, early this past spring, sealed it up and left it in his yard.  He called today saying there was honey running out of it.  I told him to inspect it and call me back.  Now he's saying there are fly maggots in some of the cells. I told him itwas probably wax moth worms or small hive beetle he is certain its fly maggots. Two questions: is it even possible to be fly maggots, I've always associated them with rotting meat?  Is it worth trying to save the frames?  Thanks, Ted
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Offline efmesch

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Re: Fly maggots?
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2018, 02:02:50 pm »
It should be easy enough to get a definite answer to the first question---collect several of the "maggots", place them in a clear plastic container and cover it with a piece of cloth held in place with a rubber band.  If they are flies, it should be a matter of a few days only till they move on to their next stage of development, and turn into brown pupae.  After a few more days, if flies  emerge from the pupae you've got your answer.
As to the frames, if they haven't been structurally damaged, (wax moths often burrow  tunnels in the frame and seriously damage the wood), they can be washed off, dried and used as if new. 

Offline Lburou

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Re: Fly maggots?
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2018, 03:24:33 pm »
I would bet a lot the larvae are wax moth or SHB.  If they are concentrated more on the honey and pollen frames, I would bet on SHB.  If you find the larvae in time, you can hose the slime off the frames, freeze them, and use them as feed for NUCs or splits.   JMO  :)

P.S.  FWIW, Last month, I hosed the slime off the frames in a dead hive with larvae crawling out the entrance, froze the frames and put them out for open feeding.  Bees cleaned the frames up within a day.
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Offline riverbee

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Re: Fly maggots?
« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2018, 11:11:25 pm »
ted, you are probably right, wax moth is my bet (and as lee also said) not familiar with shb we don't have them in wisconsin..........well not now.

ps ef...
thanks ef for the education on flies!

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Offline Lburou

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Re: Fly maggots?
« Reply #4 on: August 03, 2018, 11:41:24 pm »
... (wax moths often burrow  tunnels in the frame and seriously damage the wood)...
That is right Ef, wax moths leave what remind me of spider webs as they course through their tunnels grazing on wax...AND, they spin cocoons.  I've never seen SHB larvae do either.  :)
Lee_Burough