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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers
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- From: Phil DeGuzman <phil.deguzman AT gmail.com>
- To: Brad Kosiba <bradkosiba AT gmail.com>
- Cc: Orange County Beekeepers Association <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [ocba] Ants
- Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 10:16:14 -0400
I walked out to change the feed this morning and it appears my cutting back the weeds resolved the ant issue.
On Mon, May 30, 2016 at 10:41 PM, Phil DeGuzman <phil.deguzman AT gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks all!! Including the couple of folks who unicasted. Lots of good advice and reference materials. I'll probably just wait and see. If they are still as bad next month, I'll reconfigure my stands to be on posts so I can try remedies ( currently my stands are concrete blocks with 4x4 cross members ).
Sent from my iPhoneIf you just can't leave them alone (me the first few years) get a tube of Tangletrap at a garden store like southern states and put a band about an inch wide on the hive stand legs, lower down to avoid bees.
I confess I just leave them alone now, like hive beetles. If they get to bad, maybe the bees aren't strong enough and you need to address that. Surely ants are a normal part of the wild hive ecosystem.
Cheers, Brad
On May 30, 2016 8:27 PM, "Michael Morrissey" <mmorrissey AT fastmail.fm> wrote:I'm with Randall. I tried all kinds of things.If you have a top feeder get some 1/2" weather stripping for the top edge. The ants still come but they can't get to the syrup.--Michael MorrisseyDurham, NC.' '. __. . . (__\_. . . -{{_(|8)' . . ' ' . . ' (__/On Mon, May 30, 2016, at 08:09 PM, Randall Austin wrote:I often have ants coming and going between the underside of the metal sheeting and the telescoping cover. I ignore them. Works for me.Penn State's Field Guide to Honey Bees and Their Maladies says:AntsAnts are not usually serious pests in honey bee colonies.Occasionally, however, certain species may enter coloniesto search for food or establish nesting sites. Antsare typically found between the inner and outer covers ofthe hive and in pollen traps. Although ants seldom disturbthe bees, they can be a nuisance to the beekeeper.Ants are difficult to control once they are establishedin a colony. To minimize ant problems, maintainstrong colonies and keep bottom boards raised off theground. Also, remove brush, rotten wood, grass, andweeds from around the colonies. If ants are a persistentproblem, place single colonies on stands withthe legs in containers of oil or coated with a stickybarrier. Allowing the bees access to the space betweenthe inner and outer covers may reduce ant problemsbetween the covers. Sometimes moving the colony ashort distance or placing colonies in the sun ratherthan the shade will alleviate ant problems.RandallOn 5/30/2016 6:50 PM, Joyce Bowden Kirby wrote:Hi Phil,I used cinnamon, bought four spice jars of it at Dollar General for $1 per plastic bottle, surrounded each leg of the stand with it, put vaseline up the legs for 4” to make it harder to climb up. It worked to slow them down about *0%. I mixed apple jelly with borax and spread it on small scraps of paper, turned down toward the ground so bees could not eat it, but ants could, put it right over the entrances to their homes, with a little stone to keep it from blowing over. The ants are gone.Best,JoyceIt has been a few weeks since I checked in on my hives, so I took advantage of the sunny day today to check in. Both of my hives were invaded by ants. They were crawling up the back of the hives and into the inner cover. I didn't really see any in amongst the comb, but there were ants a plenty and what looked like ant grubs so I suspect they've been there a while longer than the bees would like. I ran the weed whacker all around the hives to make it less easy for the ants to climb up. Any advice on how to rid the colony of ants?I have read about using cinnamon and also mint leaves. Not sure if these are folklore or tried and true. I also read something about borax solutions, but I am concerned that might affect the bees.Appreciate any advice.Phil--"There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all." ― Peter F. Drucker_________________________________________Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/_________________________________________ ocba mailing list | North Carolina Beekeeping| http://www.theocba.org/ Manage Your Subscription: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/ocba/
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"There is nothing quite so useless, as doing with great efficiency, something that should not be done at all." ― Peter F. Drucker
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[ocba] Ants,
Phil DeGuzman, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Joyce Bowden Kirby, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Randall Austin, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Michael Morrissey, 05/30/2016
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Message not available
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Brad Kosiba, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Phil DeGuzman, 05/30/2016
- Re: [ocba] Ants, Phil DeGuzman, 05/31/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Phil DeGuzman, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Brad Kosiba, 05/30/2016
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Message not available
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Michael Morrissey, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Randall Austin, 05/30/2016
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Re: [ocba] Ants,
Joyce Bowden Kirby, 05/30/2016
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