ants and yellowjackets

[pa chuck]

What is a good method and product that can be used for ants and yellow jackets that wont harm the honeybees and safe to use around the hive

[scrapiron]

Put the hive on a stand, with the legs of the stand in oil. Or grease the legs. That is it for the ants. If you have a strong colony, dont fret the yellowjackets. If it is weak, reduce the entrance. Put yellowjacket traps out in the yard. Do not use insecticide, poison, or anything else.!

[MichaelShantz]

If the oil moat is too wide, many bees will get into the oil and die. My ant moats are made from a 1 inch PVC pipe on the inside to support a corner of the hive, inside a 2 inch PVC pipe so the gap filled with oil is 1/2 inch. Very few bees die in the oil. But our ants here are the Argentine ants which are very small, so you want to use the narrowest moat that your ants won't cross.

I use yellow jacket traps that are sold in hardware stores. Get the ones that have yellow jacket pheromone attractant refills. The traps will last many years but they are useless without the specific attractant.