Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

When I removed the hive boxes, checking the hives, the sides (outside) of the boxes that sit next to the neighboring hive where covered by black ants.  Bees seemed to be stressed, buzzing a lot.  Any suggestions what chemicals can be used to exterminate the ants, but not to harm the bees? Thanks

Quote from: happybees on February 17, 2010, 03:10:18 AM
When I removed the hive boxes, checking the hives, the sides (outside) of the boxes that sit next to the neighboring hive where covered by black ants.  Bees seemed to be stressed, buzzing a lot.  Any suggestions what chemicals can be used to exterminate the ants, but not to harm the bees? Thanks

Citrus Oil Based Degreasers or Biodegradable Cleaners with no other Chemical Ingredient kills and repels the ants.
Spray the surrounding ground around the hive including the cement blocks or wooden base that the hive bottom board is resting on, the honey bees will not be in danger.

I sprinkle cinnamon all around on the ground really thick all around the hive legs. But you might need something a bit stronger with the problem you are having. Wonder what is causing this???  Usually there is a problem with the hive if they cannot defend against ants.

A certain amount of ants always go into the hive and they live together, but to have such a hugh amount makes me think the bees are not doing well regardless of the ants.

You might want to get into this hive and carefully examine the frames to see what is going on. If they are such a small cluster that they cannot defend themselves, you might want to bring this hive down in size to give the bees less space to defend.

A lot of times the bees are worked up because you DISTURBED the ants who ran into the hive and disturbed the bees.  Ants, in my part of the country have never been a problem.  Now in my house they have... and the best way  I've found to get rid of them is equal parts of grape jelly, borax (in the laundry detergent ailse) and water mixed and put on a paper plate with a notch cut so they can get easy access.  Wet it from time to time as it dries out.

I have hives in two locations: in one more like desert area, where I have never had a problem and in agricultural area, where the ants always have been a problem. Simply the hives are covered with black ants. I sprayed the ground with bug- gone from Wall Mart, but did not help, they gathered in-between the hives, even during the rain, they seemed to be wintered there.
I saw the ants carring something white, I think, it was crystallized honey, , then the hives that have the most ants even they are full of bees, over 10 frames of bees, have just one frame of brood, compared with the other ones with the same strength that have over 4 frames of brood. Probably ants are feeding on eggs, it is my guess.   Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you.  
Victor.

on my hive stands each leg sits in a #10 soup can and thats 3/4 filled with oil ants can get in the hive. Works like a moat.

Good ideas here:


http://douglasfarm.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/1126862-10-ways-to-fight-ants-without-chemicals (http://douglasfarm.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/1126862-10-ways-to-fight-ants-without-chemicals)

A thick coat of Vaseline around the bottom board will do the trick, kind of like a moat, around the sides and under the front entrance, make sure you have no breaks in the ribbon of jelly.

For where you are in California this might be the dreaded Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile. In which case you might want to ask local beekeepers what they do to prevent it. My understanding it they're one of the worst ones for a beehive. They're only in the South West US right now though. And are really bad because you're fighting a super colony of ants that takes up 1/3ed of California. (There are 3 super coloneis total of these ants in CA.)

For everyone else don't get upset if you find ant colonies in the attic area of your hives. Some very common ant species use this area to incubate their brood. Feel free to stop this, go ahead and dump the ants out. While most of them simply stay in the open cavity some will start to build tunnels in the wood.

Last summer I had a colony of ants make a home in the cover of the hive. I bumped the cover on the ground to remove all the ants I could, then painted the cover with a heavy coat of boiled linseed oil inside and out, which eliminated the ants and protected the wood.