I put some on a huge ant hill about a week to ten days ago. Didnt seem to do anything to the ants but today I have a hive that seems to have gotten a pesticide kill. I found larva and dead bees in front and on front board of what was my best hive. Its a 3 deep and was going strong but now there are about a good pound of bees in front of it dead or dying. A lot of the bees in front are alive but just crawling around in the grass. Terro is the only thing I have used lately except BT to get rid of the army worms on fruit trees. Help. Harold
I don't know if it affects bees but I use it in my house and I've got bees in my back yard. You're not supposed to use it directly on the ant mound. They're supposed to think it's food and squirrel it back to the hive where it enters their food chain. It may have been nothing you did. It could be some pesticide that was applied within 2 miles of your house where the bees were working, or simply something else completely.
It contains sweetener which could have attracted the bees. Sorry :'(
lets be realistic. you put a drop on a 1" square of paper and the ants find it. It is sweet and will be found by bees just like a drop on soda if let out. but A DROP!!!!! your bee's are flying to way worst stuff than this.
Yes, it seems to be only one hive out of 4 and the ant hill mentioned was approximately 175 feet from hive. Harold
Maybe you could lay an old shingle or something over the application area in the future?
Scott
I don't know if Terro is toxic to bees but I would not use it again without putting it into something the the bees could not enter.
There are other methods of getting rid of ant mounds.
One is to sprinkle them with boric acid. This is also toxic to bees but without sweetener they should leave it alone.
The other I know works is vinegar. Depending on the size of the colony anyware from a cup to a half a gallon should take care of them.
John
I will probably change my tactics in the future. Thanks for the boric acid thing. Might try that. Seems like the dying is slowing down now and may not hurt the hive that much. Hope not,like all I am looking for the best year ever. Thanks Harold
Some I know around here swear by using grits. They sprinkle dried grits around the colony and somehow it expands their gut to kill them.
Scott
BTW, good luck finding grits up your way! :-D
Scott
Harold
I forgot to say all you have to do with the boric acid is sprinkle it over the ant colony, The vinegar you just pour on the entrance.
John
Quote from: hardwood on May 31, 2012, 08:49:46 PM
Some I know around here swear by using grits. They sprinkle dried grits around the colony and somehow it expands their gut to kill them.
Scott
Cornmeal does the same
My son and I are organic gardeners and he came by some neem oil concentrate thinking it would be good to use for the garden but when you look at the label it is bad for the bees so we trashed that idea. The bees are all over the garden and would not jepardize the hives.
I want to thank everybody for their help. I promise to use some of these ideas and to be a better beekeeper in the future. Thanks again Harold