Texas Girl

brit.thebee · April 02, 2007, 12:48:10 AM

Hi. I've got my first bees. I looked and looked for girls in Texas and finally found some in La Grange next to the old chicken ranch...yes, THE chicken ranch. (the best little one in Texas)
So I brought them home and set them up and I know I should let them work but I'm having a hard time leaving them alone. Also, the fireants are little monsters. I read on this forum that cinnamon might keep them at bay so I tried it. We'll see. I hope.
I've never had bees before but I've always wanted them. My research has been pretty extensive but reading about it and doing it are very different things! I'm like a nervous new mom.
I've got a myspace page myspace.com/britginn and if anyone wants to go look at my pics or give some advice I'm out here!

Understudy · April 02, 2007, 07:46:39 AM

Welcome to the forums.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

Michael Bush · April 02, 2007, 07:50:39 AM

I've had the best luck against ants (and I hate to say I'm against them as they usually are not a problem and I leave them alone) with jelly:borax mixed 1:1. If you know where the anthill is, put it there, if not, I try to put it where the bees can't reach it but the ants can. I suppose a #8 hardware cloth box would work for that. :)

brit.thebee · April 02, 2007, 01:34:50 PM

Thanks!

brit.thebee · April 02, 2007, 10:46:00 PM

ok I have to admit that some small amount of skepticism did exist when it came to cinnamon vs. ants.
I was wrong! The ants are gone!! Thanks!

Michael Bush · April 02, 2007, 11:24:10 PM

Cinnamon is a deterrent. But they usually come back after the cinnamon is gone. Anything that destroys their formic acid trail works well. That includes boric acid, baking soda, vinegar, borax and cinnamon. But the borax and jelly will kill the ant hill.

brit.thebee · April 02, 2007, 11:46:05 PM

I figured the cinnamon was a temporary fix until I could get something that would kill the ants or build a stand with legs.

reinbeau · April 03, 2007, 09:54:46 AM

You have to replace the cinnamon after a good rain. We bought some cheap bottles of it at a local discount house, we paid 88Â¢ apiece for them, so we could really throw it around :lol:

LET-CA · April 03, 2007, 04:53:06 PM

Never underestimate what a couple of tablespoons of Amdro will do for you. I lived in the Dallas area for 12 years and used to broadcast it around the yard a couple of times a year. Wonderful stuff because the ants pull it back to their home and they all die really fast. Any time you find an individual colony drop a teaspoon of the stuff on top and then disturb the top just a little bit. The ants go crazy when they find the stuff. You'd think it was Christmas dinner. They'll pull it all inside in a matter of minutes. The next day the colony is dead. My feelings towards fire ants were best expressed by a friend who got bit on his private parts, "I don't want them to just die, I want them to suffer while they die!"

asprince · April 03, 2007, 10:49:33 PM

We have fire ants here in Georgia too. I built stands for my hives and placed the legs in cans or shallow dishes/pans. I pour a little oil in the cans. The ants will not swim the oil moat. But, if any grass grows and touches the stand, the ants will have a safe path to the hive. Works for me.

Mici · April 07, 2007, 07:38:30 PM

welcome?

what if you bought cinnamon sticks, and just place them all over, they shouldn't wash away huh

beemaster · April 07, 2007, 09:13:32 PM

Texasgirl:

Welcome to the Bee Forums - I like when people add their faces to their avatars, many people have cartoonie animations, distant images of them tending bees but few have head shots :)

I'm just signing in to upload a photo of some really good chicken wings she bought for dinner. I LIKE TO GET THE JUICES FLOWING IN SOME OF THE OTHER FORUMS. So look around, dozens of forums to choose from, many topics. Have lots of fun :)

Dane Bramage · April 08, 2007, 12:17:32 AM

Welcome brit.thebee, :)

Hey - good info on ants this thread too.

& here's a newbee primer for forums "posting and you..." (instructional video) ;)

brit.thebee · April 08, 2007, 11:02:35 AM

I was going to ask about cinnamon sticks. They're going to make lovely yard art.

I can't get your video link to work, DB.

Dane Bramage · April 08, 2007, 11:35:30 AM

Quote from: brit.thebee on April 08, 2007, 11:02:35 AM
I can't get your video link to work, DB.

Oops, I fixed it ~> "posting and you..." (it's just a silly satire anyways, lol)

brit.thebee · April 08, 2007, 11:43:29 AM

yup, pretty silly!

Dane Bramage · April 08, 2007, 11:44:33 AM

Quote from: beemaster on April 07, 2007, 09:13:32 PM
I like when people add their faces to their avatars, many people have cartoonie animations, distant images of them tending bees but few have head shots :)

Only bad thing about adding your face as an avatar is then people can do twisted things to your image.

Not that I know anyone who would do such a thing. :mrgreen:

Quote from: brit.thebee on April 08, 2007, 11:43:29 AM
yup, pretty silly!

;) probably most funny for admins (it can be a frustrating job).

brit.thebee · April 08, 2007, 11:46:18 AM

Why would anyone do that? Surely nobody would. Why would you want to give out ideas like that?

beemaster · April 08, 2007, 12:09:40 PM

Now Dane.... How did you find my original image before I Photoshopped it, now THAT is embarrassing

Understudy · April 08, 2007, 12:49:20 PM

Brit, I have no idea what you mean.

from the latest Bee Journal:
Imagination in the hands of a beekeeper is a dangerous thing
:mrgreen:

Sincerley,
Brendhan