I like the hive stand legs w cd's
I have 3 hives on an old bed frame, angle iron, and keep the legs of the bed frame in, I wish coffee cans, but 2 liter bottles cut down, with water and orange oil in them.
The water does evaporate, sometimes in a day in the phoenix heat, but I will mix the orange oil with mineral oil.
An old timer told me to use the mineral oil on top of water for keeping water in old batteries on a solar system from evaporating too fast.
I think the DE idea would be good if I had no other critters that would be harmed by it, by I will have earthworms here soon and don't want them to suffer or the other beneficials in the garden.
I was told by the fella I bought my nucs from to use Amdro, and it worked after 5 or 6 days, but they're back, just not gettting up into the hives. I spray the wall they climb on with orange oil. Many years ago I read that orange peel has something that repels ants, thus the orange oil, so if you have orange trees maybe scraping rind on the area around the hive... but it may draw other bugs, so maybe not. just an idea or food for thought
There are reported to be other herb s that you can grow around the hive that are supposed to repel ants, and if they flower for the bees that's a double shot
I'd go to a gardening site, maybe a few, that have this info. Googgle natural herb insect repellant or something.
My issue is that grass grows under my hive stand set up quickly due to the auto dog waterer I use to water my bees with, I stretch screen over the water bowl and the bees dip through the screen. What I intend to do to cut down on the grass growing there is get paving stones under the hive area and seed between stones with thyme. It should smother out the grass and when it flowers feed the bees. It's short enough that it won't breach my defenses
Could use a ground cover that repels the ants but I'd have to research for that...