Any beekeepers may find this interesting...

[kinyonga]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150901204819.htm

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Not an apiarist (allergic to bee & wasp venoms), but it was still interesting!

 

[kinyonga]

Some friends of mine have honey hives and I thought there might be other people on here too that keep bees now to feed to the chameleons ...and/or collect honey and bee pollen...and even sadly end up with WAXWORMS.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Some friends of mine have honey hives and I thought there might be other people on here too that keep bees now to feed to the chameleons ...and/or collect honey and bee pollen...and even sadly end up with WAXWORMS.

Huh. I never made the connection before.

In the wild, [waxworms] live as nest parasites in bee colonies and eat cocoons, pollen, and shed skins of bees, and chew through beeswax, thus the name. Beekeepers consider waxworms to be pests. Galleria mellonella (the greater wax moths) will not attack the bees directly, but feed on the wax used by the bees to build their honeycomb. Their full development to adults requires access to used brood comb or brood cell cleanings—these contain protein essential for the larvae's development, in the form of brood cocoons.
....
When kept in captivity, they can go a long time without eating, particularly if kept at a cool temperature. Captive waxworms are generally raised on a mixture of cereal grain, bran, and honey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waxworm

 

[Casket_Case]

Super interesting! I was a beekeeping apprentice. Getting hives this spring. I’ve never heard of this phenomenon before. Thanks for sharing!

 

[kinyonga]

I used to tell my friends that if they had a hive infested with the waxworms to give the hive to me instead of burning it so I could get the waxworms. Luckily they never h,ad to give me one.