Ants!

[B. Haning]

I am having trouble with ant nests on top of and between nucs I am feeding. I have a screened opening in the covers and a fruit jar feeder over the hole. I cover the jar with an empty hive body and a cover on top. They are not fire ants...they don't bite, and they dont seem to bother the bees unless I open the nucs. When the ants are disturbed they run into the nucs, and the bees start to buzz and run. Finding the queen when the bees are in an uproar because of the ants is futile. Is there anything nontoxic I can put on the covers and between the nucs that will repel the ants?

[Hambone]

Attack the mound and you will end you problem. I recently started using Orthene Fire Ant Killer on the mounds around my hives. And it has worked great. With our recent rains the ants are out in force. I have use cinnamon many times before. Ant's hate cinnamon and will not cross a line of it. But ants are pretty smart and figure out a way around it. Here is a recent thread on fire ants with non toxic post.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233558&highlight=ants

[beyondthesidewalks]

The sugar in the hives is attracting the ants. Feeding in some sort of communal fashion away from the hives might help. The ants that already know about your hive will probably keep coming. You might have to follow Derek'a approach in poisoning the offending mounds until hey are all gone.

[B. Haning]

Thanks for the replys. I went to check the nuc that had the most ants yesterday. I had seen some swarm or supercedure cells, but not the queen so I thought I'd check. This 10 frame NWC nuc was extra hot stinging thru the bee suit. I think they associate me with the ant invasion yesterday. So the bees were too runny to look for the queen or cut out queen cells. I'll see if they calm down by next week if they haven't swarmed by then. I haven't found the ant mound yet. If I find the mound I'll treat them with orthene.

[Hambone]

The last few days have not been good bee days. Cool, cloudy, rainy, ants. Not a good combo. The weekend looks good though. Give it a day or two of sun and they should change for the better.

Did you get your NWC nuc local? If so, pm me who. I would like to buy a nuc or 2.

[Doxtator]

The answer to getting rid of ants in and around the hive is....ground cinnamon. Yes.. cinnamon. You will need use most of a 3 oz bottle but it works great. Sprikleit on the ground around the hive pretty heavy and inside where they travel. within a week they're gone. Natural, non-toxic.Plus it makes the hives smell intersting, honey and cinnamon!!

[B. Haning]

Thanks for the cinnamon suggestion. I'll give that a try this week.

[Ron Mann]

How long will it keep them away?

It the next rain fall or longer?

[beyondthesidewalks]

The answer to getting rid of ants in and around the hive is....ground cinnamon. Yes.. cinnamon.


I don't think you've met the african fire ant. They are smart, determined and have a ferocious bite that burns with pain long after they bitten you. They laugh at our feeble attempts to control them with passive means like cinnamon. You must track them back to their mound and KILL them kind of like the Taliban.

[NewbeeNnc]

I use fresh apple leaves or apple twigs. Break them/crush them up and put them on my inner cover. Thought it sounded crazy when someone told me, but it worked.

[brooksbeefarm]

A member of our club went to work for a commercial beekeeper in(Kans. or Okla?) and said they use walnut leaves for ants. I haven't tried it yet,have any of you? Jack