In a world that it seems everyone feels that bees in the wild (feral bees) do so great, I am also surprised that once placed into a hive, why beekeepers want to promote a "sterile" environment, somehow thinking the bees can not cope, deal with, or survive without such help.
I picture a wild hive as a complete ecosystem, where microorganism, insects, and a host of items all benefit from each other. How do we know the ants only harm, and do not contribute to the health of the hive through removal of particles and organic matter?
It's like humans who keep a sterile home, with antibacterial soap, antibacterial this and that, then have the sickest kids on the block, and have not a clue what we have done to kids immune systems these days with antibiotics, and super clean sterile conditions.
But, I know I'm the looney tune, commenting on what I can only imagine is beekeepers all over the world, crying out loud at the site of an ant, running for the can of whatever to kill of one insect, in attempts to make another insect survive.
I'm not singling out Lone. And maybe she lives in an area that has some of those ants that can really attack a hive, as I heard some ants can be real problems. I'm just saying that when one sees a few ants, it's may not a big deal, and maybe we are doing more harm than good sometimes.