Hi,
I have two hives w/inner covers and 2 that don't.
These little black ants are nesting in the little cracks and crevices in the cover.
I didn't see any in the hive just on the cover there's eggs and everything.
Their numbers are relatively small as ants go I guess.
The hives w/o inner covers .... no ants
I'm not sure what to do about it.
I did actually see one ant attacking a bee and she looked worried! :-\
I read about the motor oil but my stands are on blocks and it's not exactly "green" friendly
Anyone else seen this??
Thanks,
Paul
Bees hate ants. In one hive I had a small hole in the inner cover that I put a quart jar for feeding. Must have been 40 or 50 ants. I put shims under the jar so the bees could feed and have access to the upper box. It was just a blur of bees rolling/stinging the ants.....bees 50-ants 0.
Bees die when they sting humans because of the elastic skin...the barbs can't extract...but another exoskeleton..sting,sting and sting..
John
I may be to new on here to give any advice but I read on here about axle grease working. Someone had there hives on 4x4's and had put axle grease around the wood. They said the ants would not cross the grease. Well I only have one hive right now and the ants started laying eggs all over the inner cover, and the ants bit me when I was in there. I squished all the ants I could and cleaned the cover up. I have my hive setting on a 2 by 6 frame covered in cedar just to keep the hive off of the ground. I put axle grease from a grease gun all the way around the 2 by 6 part. Just put one solid stripe all the way round. Now I don't have any ants in or on the inner cover! They are still on the ground and I see them on the bottom of the 2x6's but I have not yet seen one cross the grease. I only put it on that one time and it has lasted for three weeks so far.
Works for me.
I can never remember the correct orientation of the inner cover...I'm sure someone will chime in to inform us.
Anyway, I had the exact issue about a month ago...I turned the inner cover over, and everything is cool now...I have no idea whether it is the 'correct' side up or not now..
>>>>I can never remember the correct orientation of the inner cover...I'm sure someone will chime in to inform us.<<<<
Can the bees get between it and the outer cover to fight off the ants? "approx. 3/8 inch" If yes, it is right. The bees keep the ants out.
If no, the ants have it made. Dart down through the hole, grab honey, retreat where the bees can't get.
I've been feeding using a quart jar on top of the hole in the inner cover (with an empty medium then the outer cover on top) using a screen to keep the bees below the inner cover when I change jars.
Anyway, ants could get in there and bees can't - so the ants got in there for the sugar syrup. I sprinkled a bit of cinnamon in there, and no more ants. Apparently they don't like it. The bees don't seem to mind though.
I do still see an occasional ant around the hive, but I've never seen any inside of it.
I got concerned that they couldn't ventilate through the inner cover in the very hot weather we are having so I put a a piece of plywood with a matching hole in it on top of the inner cover. Now they can still get to the syrup, can't get into the medium, but they can still enter / exit, and ventilate through the little hole in the inner cover. Probably lots of over kill.
David, if you are interested Brushy Mountain and Rossman's Apiary sell the screened inner covers for ventilation.
You can put the feeder jars right over the screen and then a box and outer cover.
I bought one for each hive, each company has a different style.
http://www.brushymountainbeefarm.com/8-Frame-Ventilated-Inner-Cover-Moving-Screen/productinfo/210/
http://www.gabees.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=34_63&products_id=589&osCsid=d83c93e322c00f0d8fc6ffeb32684f26
http://www.gabees.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=34_63&products_id=597&osCsid=d83c93e322c00f0d8fc6ffeb32684f26
If it is the ant species I have seen on inner covers before, they are Crematagaster species, commonly called acrobat ants. I saw a hive opned once and the whole top of the inner cover was just covered with ant adults and brood (this was a weak hive of course). I would suggest switching out inner covers especially if the one you are using is degraded. The hive I witnessed this on had a very old inner cover that had little burrow type cracks and crevices that ants could hide in. You could also try shaking out the ant brood and adults away from the bees where they will be unlikely to find their way back to the hive.
Josh
Hello everyone,
Great ideas, Thanks for the input.
I have 2 sets of 4 cinder blocks about 5' apart w/2 - 4 x 4's laying across them and a hive on each end.
I was thinking about the grease idea and if I were to put a 2 x 4 between the blocks and the 4 x 4's and just put the grease on the 2 x 4
that would act a a barrier for all.......sweet I like it!
I think a little Cinnamon wouldn't hurt either.
Sorry, about the short reply,
but I have to load up the truck and camper cause were heading to Michigan's upper peninsula for a few days of R&R 8-)
Thanks again,
I hope you and your bees are well.
Paul
One of the best investments I have made to start beekeeping is to build metal stands that have one center post anchored in concrete with a moat around the post to keep out pest and loops to attach your straps, to keep from being knocked over. It adds a bit of expense to starting each hive but I have not had anything but bees in the hives so far. If it worked out a picture is attached to give ideas to what it looks like.
Quote from: hollybees on June 24, 2009, 05:37:40 PM
Hi,
I have two hives w/inner covers and 2 that don't.
These little black ants are nesting in the little cracks and crevices in the cover.
I didn't see any in the hive just on the cover there's eggs and everything.
Their numbers are relatively small as ants go I guess.
The hives w/o inner covers .... no ants
I'm not sure what to do about it.
I did actually see one ant attacking a bee and she looked worried! :-\
I read about the motor oil but my stands are on blocks and it's not exactly "green" friendly
Anyone else seen this??
Thanks,
Paul
Put grease on the bottom of the legs about 3 inches up.
If they are like the little ones around my hives I wouldn't worry about them. What I have we commonly call sugar ants. They are so small that if you touch them you usually damage them. They don't seem to bother the bees and I haven't seen the girls pay them much heed. They mostly appear to function as a clean up crew scavenging the hive debris. I'm sure they steal some honey, but they are so small and as with your ants their numbers are relatively small. I pretty much don't do anything to them except sweep them brood and all off of the inner cover whenever I do an inspection.
A little bit of borax on the top of the inner cover will get rid of the ants. But what I have seen they usually dont bother anything
Quote from: riverrat on July 29, 2009, 12:58:59 AM
a little bit of borax on the top of the inner cover will get rid of the ants. But what I have seen they usually dont bother anything
I would be careful using borax or boric acid insecticide on the inner cover as this is a general insecticide. if the bees get it on them and then groom themselves it will likely kill them too.
Josh
They sell ants dipped in choclate, why not ants covered in honey ?
Bee-Bop
I usually have a torch around for when I smoke the bees. I just torch the ants when I see them.