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Author Topic: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.  (Read 5871 times)

Offline Captain776

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Re: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.
« Reply #20 on: July 15, 2017, 02:56:53 am »
Maybe a week and a half now since I applied the insecticide chalk to the legs and don't see any ants, but too early to claim victory.
I think next time I notice a problem I am going to try what Michael Bush said, put Borax in the cheap grape jelly because I don't like using anything harmful.
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

Offline Captain776

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Re: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.
« Reply #21 on: July 15, 2017, 03:01:23 am »
Bruce I did the oil/ grease moat thing and it is messy.
It is also bad for the eniorment.
I also greased the legs of my table and that worked best
They haven't been back in a couple years but when they do I am thinking of a sweet borax or glycol modified trap system so bees or good critters can't be harmed that can easily be taken out of the rain.

One thing I haven't ever tried is what Micharl Bush said works. Mix Borax with grape jelly or any sweet jelly and further to your point, you can mix up jelly and Borax and then use an eye dropper or syringe and squirt it inside ant traps, like those round Black Flag ant traps.........that helps keep it away from the innocent. Just a thought
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

Offline bobsim

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Re: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.
« Reply #22 on: July 15, 2017, 03:56:17 am »
  I have been using the boric acid and grape jelly for going on three years now (thanks Michael.) No water in the mix though, just cheap jelly and boric acid 50/50 then put in small mason jars with holes in the lid too small for the bees. I have top bar hives and keep one under each hive and it works well for me.

  At first the jar needs to be positioned with the holes up as the sun will thin the paste and cause it to run but after a while it becomes less viscous and it doesn't matter. I just kick them around when I mow under the hives.

  Added bonus, when a new fire ant mound pops up I can move a jar close to it and soon it's a ghost town. I'm a live and let live guy except when it comes to fire ants, maybe I'm allergic to them? When they get me I'll itch for 4-6 hours. An occasional pop from the girls is nothing in comparison. 

  Edit: Changed the word borax to boric acid.
« Last Edit: July 15, 2017, 04:58:16 am by bobsim »

Offline eltalia

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Re: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.
« Reply #23 on: July 15, 2017, 04:44:12 am »
We (dot AU) have fire ants coming, with colonies detected in
Southern Queensland recently.
North though we have long had "electric ants" which infest rotting wood and look
very similar to fire ants, if somewhat smaller in size.
These guys crawl maybe 300mm up your leg before biting, so by that time there
are literally thousands of them. Like an orange cloud moving over your thongs.
They get no quarter... ant dust the whole area, end of.
Their bite is equivalent to a 24VDC burn... hence "electric ants".

Cheers.

Bill

Offline Captain776

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Re: Cinnamon DOES NOT WORK on ants.
« Reply #24 on: July 17, 2017, 06:27:01 am »
We (dot AU) have fire ants coming, with colonies detected in
Southern Queensland recently.
North though we have long had "electric ants" which infest rotting wood and look
very similar to fire ants, if somewhat smaller in size.
These guys crawl maybe 300mm up your leg before biting, so by that time there
are literally thousands of them. Like an orange cloud moving over your thongs.
They get no quarter... ant dust the whole area, end of.
Their bite is equivalent to a 24VDC burn... hence "electric ants".

Cheers.

Lived and worked in Bunbury and Gladstone. You got some bad critters there.
8 of the 10 deadliest snakes on the planet, bad ants, bad spiders, bad bees, deadly snakes, never ending great white attacks, we had a Brown under our office trailer in Aldoga outside Gladstone.........they are viscous and not afraid and they do not back down

Bill
Bought my first NUC April 7, 2016.
Like all you when you first started, I am fascinated with beginning Beekeeping and trying to learn all I can.
I retired May 2015 and have added this to my short list of hobbies.

 

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