Wax Moth!

Today I earned the exclamation mark! I found the largest infestation of Wax Moth that I've ever seen.

It was my own fault, of course. I had left a stack of brood comb on my workbench and forgotten about it. I found it today a day or two after the larvae had woven their cocoons but before pupation had properly begun. There was a lump of cocoons half as big as my fist.

There were hundreds of larvae and cocoons. I had left the combs on top of some tools and a hive part. The cocoons were everywhere. I had to pick them out of frame grooves; around a hanging ruler; from inside a wood plane; and from off the bench top. Wherever there was a hole or covered area there were cocoons.

We keep chickens. Chickens love live food and they are very attentive when you give them wax moth larvae. I spent at least half an hour picking the larvae and cocoons off stuff from my shed. They spent a little bit longer extracting the larvae. I won't say that it was good work but the timing was lucky and the chickens were happy. Things could have been worse.