Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => DISEASE & PEST CONTROL => Topic started by: orvette1 on August 14, 2011, 01:23:46 pm
-
I have a hive with 2 deeps at a guys property in a forest. It rains too much for any type of powder treatment for ants. I noticed lots of ants in the hive, but crawling up the sides. Any suggestions on how to get rid of them without taking the hive apart?
-
Been dealing with them myself. I would appreciate input as well. So far I'm doing the moat thing using hot water heater pans and cinder blocks. Even then it's a daily check to clip blades of grass or whatever tiny little thing the ants seem to find.
-
The first thing you need to do is identify exactly what type of ants you have, then go from there. There are tons of different types with different habits/food preferences. Have to know what type before proceeding forward.
Bring them to your local Ag center to see if they have an entomologist who can identify them for you.
Keep in mind after diagnosis you could set up a dummy hive just for the ants baited with something they could eat spiked with an insecticide such as boric acid. Naturally you would need to safeguard against your bees being exposed to the ant bait.
...JP
-
When I had problems with ants attacking and eating my bees, someone here suggesting painting one side of a piece of plywood with vaseline. Put the plywood (vaseline side down) under your bottom board (and on top of whatever you are using for a stand). The dry side of the plywood is up so the bees can use it as additional landing space, but the ants won't want to walk through the sticky stuff on the bottom side of the plywood to get to the hive. I tried this and it worked really, really well.
I know many folks use cans filled with oil (one can or each stand leg) with success. I does the same thing by making a barrier the ants don't want to cross. The draw back is that if it rains a lot, the cans can overfill, leaking oil onto the ground.
Whatever you use that ends up working, let us know. I think we all have this issue from time to time!
-
Use Cinnamon, I have a top feeder and put it around the inside of the feeder box and all the ants quit coming in! But I know this doesn't help for those that need to use it outside of the hives. If it don't look like rain for a while put it around the hive it will work.
-
I too frequently battle ants. The type I have trouble with travel on a trail from the nest to the bee hive. I brush all the ants from the hive and bait the trail with some ant bait that they will carry back to the nest. I also sprinkle granular ant bait in the garass around my yard.
Good Luck,
Steve
-
This works: The upside down grease mote. This may involve rebuilding or modifying your hive stand but it's worth the extra work. Get coffee cans or soup cans, whatever size will fit three inches larger than the diameter of your stand legs. Fill the cans with tangle foot or Vaseline or even axle grease. Turn the cans upside down, stick one end of the hive legs in the cans. The other end of the hive stand legs will touch the ground. Then place your hive frame on top of your hive leg with the frame resting on the bottom side of the can so that the top of the can is facing downward towards the ground like an upside down mote.
You can nail through the can to fasten you hive legs to the frame but use a bead of roofing caulk to cover the seems so rainwater doesn't leak through the joints into the cans.
This way, the rain stays out of the cans because the cans are upside down, the tangle foot or whatever you use stays in the upside down cans and all is good. The ants can't bridge the cans if you make the legs long and have the cans in the upper portion of your stand.
-
Cinnamon works well for the ants (and other bugs) around the hives in my yard. We use it around the house doors too.
Have fun.
-
Sundog, doesn’t it rain about everyday in Pinellas County….at least in the summer.
How do you keep the Cinnamon from getting washed away?
-
Sundog, doesn’t it rain about everyday in Pinellas County….at least in the summer.
BB, I live near the coast and on most days the seabreeze keeps the showers inland. Much of the year, I wish for more rain. I also have large shade trees in my yard sheltering things. I do need to reapply occasionally, but I only have a couple of hives in my yard. I realize it isn't a practical alternative for everyone.
Have fun!