# ant nest on the SBB tray?



## baybee (Jan 10, 2016)

Found several white clumps of ant larvae or pupae on the SBB tray, which I pulled for cleaning today, about three weeks after the previous cleaning. The ants are black, 1/8" long; the clumps were about 1/2" in diameter:

















Also, there were several ant brood clumps inside the groove for the SBB tray:









The clumps are too large to fall through the screened bottom from inside the hive (and, more importantly, they were sitting on the debris-free edge of the plywood tray), so it looks like they have been built on the tray. On the other hand, there was no other sign of ant activity, just clumps of ant brood in three spots. The hive has been strong, busy, and not super mellow; I don't believe the bees would tolerate any unauthorized activity inside the hive.

My question is: Is there a chance that there are more ants in the hive or they are known to raise ant brood like this? Should cleaning the tray more often take care of the ants?

Thanks, h.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

I see them pretty often nesting in the corrugated sheets below the screened bottoms....although I only have a dozen or so screened bottoms left. Ants are scavengers and there is plenty to scavenge off of those bottoms. 
Never been an issue for me.


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## Eikel (Mar 12, 2014)

> Never been an issue for me.


 I have some little dark one that aren't a problem for the bees but have had me doing a little break dancing, biting little beggars!


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## FlowerPlanter (Aug 3, 2011)

I find them once and a while in places bees can't go. Just take the piece of equipment 20 feet away and shake them out. usually that takes care of them. They seem to move around finding the best temperature to hatch their eggs.


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## baybee (Jan 10, 2016)

Appreciate the feedback! Yes, they seemed to live in nooks that the bees can't reach. I did just that -- shook them off the tray. Within half an hour they have moved their pupae(?) to a new pile under a dry leaf. Ironically, they chose to brood in the hive treated with formic acid.


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## bevy's honeybees (Apr 21, 2011)

My experience with "crazy ants" is that my hives that have a lot of ants have significantly fewer small hive beetles. I leave them alone.


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