[Mattula]

We have many ants here in California...
Once the honey supers are off the hive and the bees have cleared out.. how do I get rid of the ants? Do I just spin em, and filter em out?

 

[loggermike]

This has sure been a summer for ants in northern CA.In this area there was a noticeable lack of yellow jackets but a big increase in ants(any correlation?)I turned into the Great White Ant Hunter following trails with a can of Raid.
Ant flavored honey?Ha Ha!
loggermike

 

[Mattula]

The Yellow Jackets in my area have been normal. They clean up the dead bees outside the hive though. We have been attempting to build the hive stands out of construction re-bar and then wrapping the support legs with an oil soaked rag. Problem its that it dries out or collects crud from the lawn mower etc...

 

[loggermike]

Ants nest under some of our hives but present
no real problem to the bees.They are mostly
just scavengers I think.Are the ants actually
entering the hive?
Sometimes when we remove supers a few ants will try to get in before we get the stack loaded.
Our only real problem was ants climbing up on the table we sell honey on.Setting the legs of the table in buckets of soapy water worked best but I swear a few still parachuted in...Mike

 

[Johnsewell]

In South Afica beekeepers put hives on stands with legs, the legs are in cans of water with a layer of oil on top to stop evaporation. Seems successful. Maybe weld a fencepost cap on your rebar like a saucer? I suppose a trench around permanent hives with a gutter in it would create ant free zone to set supers on to clear.