Day 4

[Georgia Boy]

Yesterday was day # for my pkg and really wanted to open her up and see if the queen had been released but didn't get to because of work. Sucks.

This morning it was a little chilly so I didn't want to open her up until it warmed up this afternoon. Well around 2 it started to rain. Oh well I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow. Nicer weather and I'll have to get home earlier.

Bad news when I checked this morning. I noticed fire ants around one of the hive stand legs. Didn't see any on the stand yet but knew it was just a matter of time. Went and got the petroleum jelly. We use it to keep the ants out of our hummingbird feeders so I figured it would work on the hive stand as well. Smeared about a 2 inch wide path around all the legs.  When we got home from the Mother in laws this afternoon went to check on the girls. It was just sprinkling rain now and I saw a lot of fire ants up near the hive. Seems they had found a deep split in the wood and went up through that under the jelly. Went inside got my bee brush and the jelly, went out to the hive and filled in the crack all the way up and that stopped the  ants for the time being. Then I used the bee brush to brush away the ants on and around the hive.

My bee seemed to be a little aggressive towards me which is unusual. They were zooming at me and getting in my face. Not sure if it was from the rain or because of the ants.

Anyway hopefully I'll get to see if the queen has been released tomorrow.

Have bees ever left a hive due to ants?

Hopefully I've stopped the ants for now.

David

[Steel Tiger]

 Apparently ants don't like cinnamon, You can sprinkle it around the hive on the ground for a quick fix, although the rain may wash it away. Some people will sprinkle it on top of the inner cover. I don't know if it would be safe to sprinkle it inside on the bottom board, perhaps someone else could enlighten us.
 The bees were probably agitated by the rain. Hopefully that's the case and it's not the ants.
 Good luck

[Intheswamp]

Sugar syrup and boric acid.  I made some bait traps using some 8-ounce Ziplock food storage containers...the little semi-disposable ones.  There's a lip that runs around the top just below the actual lip that the lid fastens to...I cut slits right beneath that lower lip.  At the end of each slit I "twist" the knife.  With my fingers I bend kind of a "flap" that points outward and downward with the slit...this makes kind of an awning to keep rain out and also opens the slit up wide enough so the ants don't have trouble entering the container but still too small for the bees to get in.  With the slits being so close to the top of the container the lid helps shed rain good, too.

The recipe is...all over the board.  I've seen recipes of 1:1:1 sugar/boric-acid/water ratios....of 2 cups sugar, 1 tbsp boric acid, and 1 cup water, etc.,.  I normally mix up a 1:1 sugar syrup and add a couple of tablespoons of boric acid per cup of syrup and call it "good"...seems to work ok for me.   The trick is that you want enough boric acid to kill the ants but not so much that it alerts the ants and they shy away from it.  You can also make a protein bait using boric acid and saved fat from cooking or peanut butter.

I simply pour about an inch of bait into the 8-oz ziplock containers and set them under the hive (I use cement blocks for hive stands)   The ants will find it.   Do the same with the protein traps....just be aware that if you have any "critters" roaming around your hives that they may go for the protein...I've had something (skunks I think) rip open a protein bait trap.

Cinnamon does work *sometimes*.  I feel that it helps so I use it.  I will sprinkle it on top of the inner cover and wipe it around good.  I will also sprinkle on and around the cement blocks.  Since I've used the boric acid bait traps I haven't had to use as much cinnamon.

Best wishes,
Ed

PS...I tried to use some elcheapo food containers from one of those Dollar Tree type stores but the plastic would rip to easily when I tried to cut the slits....ended up pitching those containers.

[duryeafarms]

Ants had made their way into my tbh hauling off dry sugar. I put a nice bead of cinnamon around the bottom of the legs, stopped them cold.

Jon