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Offline bee-nuts

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Ants
« on: May 02, 2009, 01:37:35 am »
I opened my hives today to feed sugar water.  On one hive between the telescope cover and inner cover there were hundreds of little ants.  Is there any easy remedy to rid hives of ants.  Should I be worried.

Thanks for any info Beeks.
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Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Ants
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2009, 10:09:34 am »
The simple solution is to put the legs of the hivestand in pans of oil.

Another thing you can do is bait the ants.  Mix up some syrup with some boric acid and put it in a jar feeder face up with about an inch of air space between the top of the liquid and the lid with the holes in it (that will prevent the bees from getting it), then leave it on the ground near the hive.  It'll kill the ants two ways... one, many will fall in and drown; two, any that don't drown will be bringing poison back to the ant nest and should soon kill the queen.

If you're nervous about the boric acid, you can forgo that and just kill as many as you can by drowning them.

Offline chad

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Re: Ants
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2009, 10:46:13 am »
I put coffee grinds out.Just sprinkle on ground all around hives.Seems to get rid of most of the ants without bothering the bees.We have always used it to get rid of fire ants.Always used old coffee grinds,but Ive been using rite out of the can around my hive.

Offline bee-nuts

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Re: Ants
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2009, 10:27:23 pm »
Thanks for the replies SGTMAJ  and Chad !!

To my astonishment there was not one ant under the inner cover today.  I will try coffee grounds anyway I guess.  Hopefully the ants gave up, although I find it hard to believe they gave up that easy.  I am feeding with frame feeders and have commercial inner covers with no feeder hole so maybe they could not get in.  The cover was not glued yesterday, but maybe the bees sealed it well now.  Who knows.  It is taking forever to warm up here this year and has been windy almost every day so I have not been opening for anything other than feeding.

As for boric acid, can I find that easily or do I have to order that.

Thanks again Beek's
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

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Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Ants
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2009, 05:38:06 am »
Thanks for the replies SGTMAJ  and Chad !!

To my astonishment there was not one ant under the inner cover today.  I will try coffee grounds anyway I guess.  Hopefully the ants gave up, although I find it hard to believe they gave up that easy.  I am feeding with frame feeders and have commercial inner covers with no feeder hole so maybe they could not get in.  The cover was not glued yesterday, but maybe the bees sealed it well now.  Who knows.  It is taking forever to warm up here this year and has been windy almost every day so I have not been opening for anything other than feeding.

As for boric acid, can I find that easily or do I have to order that.

Thanks again Beek's

Boric acid is sold in most hardware stores.  Get it in pure form if you can because the stuff they sell as ant-bait is mixed with a lot of flour that just doesn't dissolve into water very well.

Offline Jim134

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Re: Ants
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2009, 07:36:58 am »
 Cinnamon is a short term solution. It will wash away with the rain. What I usually do is sprinkle some around a new hive and on top of the incover. If you a long term Just sprinkle Talstar PL  on ground all around hives. It will give me protection for about 3 months and it does not harm the bees.


     http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/talstar-pl-granules-p-47.html?gclid=CPjhheyEqpkCFQrFGgodN1NIpg

 

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Offline SgtMaj

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Re: Ants
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2009, 09:41:46 am »
Cinnamon is a short term solution. It will wash away with the rain. What I usually do is sprinkle some around a new hive and on top of the incover. If you a long term Just sprinkle Talstar PL  on ground all around hives. It will give me protection for about 3 months and it does not harm the bees.


     http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/talstar-pl-granules-p-47.html?gclid=CPjhheyEqpkCFQrFGgodN1NIpg

 

             BEE HAPPY Jim 134  :)


I'm thinking that probably would hurt the bees if the bees picked it up... they probably leave it alone for the most part though... but I still wouldn't want any bees that were crawling around on the ground near the hive to track any into the hive... from the site:

Quote
Talstar Granules (Talstar PL) are used to control Ants (including Imported Fire Ants), roaches, spiders, fleas, ticks, worms, crickets, and almost all other insect pests on lawns, in landscaped areas and gardens, and perimeters of residential, institutional, public, commercial and industrial buildings, parks, recreational areas and athletic fields.

Sounds like it targets pretty much anything and everything alive... or at least anything in insect form.  Doesn't sound like something I'd want around my hives.  Too much potential to get into the hives and possibly in the honey.  blech!

Offline Greg Peck

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Re: Ants
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2009, 01:26:21 pm »
20 muleteam borox laundry soap works
"Your fire arms are useless against them" - Chris Farley in Tommy Boy
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Offline bee-nuts

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Re: Ants
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2009, 04:01:29 pm »
Sounds like 101 ways to skin this cat.

Thanks for all the info Beek's
The moment a person forms a theory, his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory

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Offline charles

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Re: Ants
« Reply #9 on: May 08, 2009, 08:17:57 am »
I put coffee grinds out.Just sprinkle on ground all around hives.Seems to get rid of most of the ants without bothering the bees.We have always used it to get rid of fire ants.Always used old coffee grinds,but Ive been using rite out of the can around my hive.

What do coffee grounds do to get rid of ants? Would they work if they were used, and not just old?
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Offline chad

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Re: Ants
« Reply #10 on: May 08, 2009, 05:43:10 pm »
Used ones work.I used fresh ones last time ,because I don't drink allot of coffee anymore.I don't know what makes them work,just a old lady who lived next door to me showed me one day.seems to work good .

Offline asciibaron

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Re: Ants
« Reply #11 on: May 24, 2009, 01:42:38 pm »
opened my hive today to find a column of ants with eggs in their pincers.  there is zero brood in my hive - nothing.  it has been 2 weeks since i last checked - about right for the capped brood to emerge.  this totally sucks.  and to top it off, the bees haven't drawn out any of the comb in the honey super. 

so much for getting honey this year, i'll be excited if there are any bees left in two months.

-steve


Offline luvin honey

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Re: Ants
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2009, 12:18:14 am »
20 muleteam borox laundry soap works

I have this at home for laundry, and I also have 100s of what I believe are carpenter ants on the top of my topbar hive and in back by the feeder.

How do you use the borax? Thanks!

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Offline Bee Happy

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Re: Ants
« Reply #13 on: May 27, 2009, 12:46:14 am »
Used ones work.I used fresh ones last time ,because I don't drink allot of coffee anymore.I don't know what makes them work,just a old lady who lived next door to me showed me one day.seems to work good .
they get way overcaffeinated and go for a really long hike - then the caffeine wears off...
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Offline Greg Peck

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Re: Ants
« Reply #14 on: May 31, 2009, 10:35:16 pm »
It has been a long time. But if I remember right you mix it with jelly or some other substance that is sweet and liquid. it dissolves in whatever you use then the ants take it back to the nest or whatever it is called and everyone eats of it and dies. I do not remember what the mixture was but I think it was something like a 1 part borax to 3 parts jelly. I would make sure the bees can not get to it. Like put it in a container with a screen big enough for the ants to get in but not the bees.
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Offline Paynesgrey

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Re: Ants
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2010, 09:52:14 am »
Don't use Jelly -use peanut butter, because ants(like roaches) love that, and I don't think I have ever seen bees, wasps or the like trying to steal the BP & borax/boric acid ant bait that was put out when I was a kid.

Don't let the boric acid or borax get mixed into your garden dirt, or compost, because it kills plants, all kind of bugs, and basically all animals. Especially don't let kids or animals (dogs & kids love PB too) get it, or it will kill them. Causes kidney failure I believe.

A kid proof container with small holes the ants can get into punched in it (like a milk or bleach container with the lid crazy glued on) is a good idea.

Cinnamon works great to drive out ant hills, even fire ants. Also repels them.We'll be using it and coffee grounds based on the success with skunks and ants from them y'all are reporting.

We use vanilla in the house as a perimeter spray with a fine spritzer to keep ants out - it is the same chemical the ants use to navigate (or so close the ants can't tell the difference). If you spray it in a band about 2 feet to a yard wide from baseboards out, or better in, because inside it does not rain, the ants will stop short and turn around and leave, rather than cross it, because they know that they cannot follow a scent path back home. They don't want to wander forever and die :)

I have no idea how bees react to vanilla though....We are new to bees. 

For in house, use the de-colored vanilla :) the brown vanilla stains light floors and walls. Does not have to be real vanilla - the artificial is chemically identical, way cheaper, and works as well. Reapply quarterly on carpeted areas, as needed where you wash floors.