Ants ..are they harmful?

[Meadow Stone Farm]

Just installed a NUC last week and I have noticed a consistant flow of large black ants into the hive. They are entering through the ventilation opening in the bottom board. The opening is screened but they are small enough to pass through. I have also seen them moving dead bees around the base of the hive. I'm assuming they are attracted to the sugar water in the feeders but I haven't hads a chance to open the hive yet to see what they are really up to. Does anyone have any experince with ants damaging a hive? Or are they relatively harmless?

[chemistbert]

Weel they aren't good anyways. The bees will get all cranked up about them so you should do something about the little thieves. Grease on the legs works good.

[Michael Bush]

In moderate amounts the bees usually handle the ants. If you see overwelming amounts, I'd do something about it. Cinnamon, baking soda, borax and boric acid all tend to discourage the ants. I try to put it on their path and everywhere you find the ants. If it's really bad, I try to track it back to the ant colony and destroy it. I usually use a hose and a shovel and dig and drown it until it's a muddy hole in the ground. I seem to remember someone suggesting something that didn't require pesticides that seemed like less work, but I don't remember what that was. Jelly laced with boric acid has also been suggested. I have not tried it.

[Meadow Stone Farm]

Duct tape turned inside out was an old trick of my grandfathers. He used to wrap it on fruit tree trunks, a few wraps deep and it would collect all kinds of bugs.

[Scot Mc Pherson]

Coffee is an excellent deterent. Dump the coffee grounds from your coffee maker ontop of the nest. Digging a hole and drowning doesn't work for Fire Ants.

[stangardener]

i'm using water moats. this entails using legs on
the hives. my first hives had the splayed legs
but this required larger moats than are easy to
come by so since then i've gone to shorter
straight up and down legs and coffee cans.

[Ribster]

stangardener, that's a good idea. I wonder if it would help with hive beetles also...

[MIKI]

I read somewhere hive beetles fly. We do not have them in Germany, YET!

[Scot Mc Pherson]

MIKI and you likely won't. Hive Beetles thrive in snady soil in tropical, sub-tropical and southern temperate zones. You won't see the hive beetle for a LONG time until they acclimate to more severe temperate zones with a winter killing season.

Hive beetles fly really well, and fast too. Run slow, fly fast.

[Scot Mc Pherson]

I also have ants. Its part of life in florida. Roaches too. Neither seem to bother the inside of the hive, they just seem to like being under the dry cover and maybe snack on honey drippings on the top bars after management/inspection sessions.