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Cathie Fox of Indiana writes:

I was out inspecting the bottom board of my strongest hive. I found 3 dead moth worms. The hive is three deep and packed. Is there anything I can do / should do this late in the season to treat? I did the OAV treatment this fall from your tutorial and it worked great.

Josh Vaisman answers:

Hi Cathie,

I get the sense this was a very recent thing and, judging by where you’re writing in from, it’s likely pretty cold there. So, I’m assuming a hive inspection isn’t really an option. That’s not a big deal since you also mentioned the hive is three deep and packed with bees. With that in mind, I suspect I know what’s going on here.  I just have to recognize that without a hive inspection I can’t be 100% certain.

When things get cold and the bees start prepping for winter cluster/survival, they aren’t the only bugs doing what they can to find a safe place to get through the winter. Moths are also doing their best to maximize survival. It is not at all unusual for them to be attracted to both the smell and warmth of a beehive. Of course, they can’t really get inside the hive when there’s a big winter cluster of bees in there protecting it so they find little nooks and such away from the cluster. Many times, that’s somewhere in, on, or around the hive’s bottom board. More often than not, this is normal, minimal, and NOT a sign of an infestation inside the hive. It’s just a few moths doing their best to find somewhere … anywhere … to live during this hard time of the year.

I find the same thing from time to time on my hives and it’s never been an issue. I suspect it isn’t for your hive either.

All the best!

Josh