Ants

[tharrison]

I've read and heard that ants are very detrimental to a bee colony. What negative effects do they have on the colony?

I've spread ant bait granules around some hives which has worked really well however this will be extremely expensive on a large scale. Does anyone have a practical and cost effective method that successfully keeps ants out of hives?

What are some good methods of eradicating ants once they've entered a hive?

[BAH]

Some called me crazy here where I live, but this has been a great idea for me. Instead of making a hive stand with 4 legs I made a pedestal with a platform, so it has one leg. It is made from 4x4 and is 2 foot in the ground. I concreted it in the ground and the hole is approx. 8 inches in dia.. With that said the ants must climb one pole instead of 4 and with the concrete surface around the pole I can treat just the concrete  :-D. Cinnamon is cheap and easy to use and I apply it when it is dry after the rain. It last a while and deters ants in coming around the hive ground. Did I mention that is natural and will not harm the bees.  :lol: Well now my beekeeping buddies all want me to start these up for them  :roll: lol. Also to add to the cinnamon I will wipe the 4x4 with vaseline, not a lot just enough to coat it :) and all that adds up to no ants in hive. Also since the 4x4 is under the hive in the middle mice and other pest can't get in, it is anchored and can sit off the ground as high as you like. Mine is set 2 foot off the ground, so my chickens can't bother them, it is also high enough to keep skunks and other predators away as well. This also required a portable stand to be made for behind the hives to work on. So just keep in mind the higher up the higher you will have to be to work on the hives. I found it worth the effort and cost instead of treating with granules and such. Hope to may show you that there are other options instead of chemicals and such. Just my 2 cents!
-BAH-

[Old Blue]

Having one post to deal with certainly makes it simpler.  I use hive stands with rebar legs.  I have been using tanglefoot on the legs but dont think it is the ultimate solution.  On a hive stand that I have with wood legs, I first put a band of duvt tape around the legs and put the tanglefoot on that so it doesnt soak into the wood.

Old Blue
Where they havn't quite figured out a way to tax the ants...............yet.   Only in .........................
Kali-bone-ya

[Mackayboi]

Cinnamon to deter ants, I must try it!

The single pole idea is handy, but I imagine it is fixed in place with concrete.
Otherwise an idea is to have a long metal stand that has the 4 legs but carries multiple boxes, thus having less than 1 pole per hive.