# Ants 'stealing' bee larvae



## tillanseabee (May 11, 2011)

I'm a newbee and saw a large black ant carry a tiny bee (could see the shape) larvae out of the hive. Honeybees didn't react. I could not stay long enough to watch for more ants doing this. Is this normal? Part of a plan to get rid of diseased larvae or should I watch for some ill effects by ants stealing anything else?
All other aspects of the hive seem normal for this time of year in Michigan.
Thanks for any advice!


----------



## clintonbemrose (Oct 23, 2001)

It happens. Try to find the ant nest and kill it by using a shovel and ant killer. This sounds like Carpenter ants and they will kill the hive if given enough time. Remember poisons that kill ants also kill bees so do not treat for ants in the hive.
Clint


----------



## unhdude (Apr 21, 2011)

I have the same problem with a nuc I just installed. Tons of carpenter ants stealing larva :-( I'm going to try to find the ant hive but it's in some pretty dense grass so I'm not all that hopeful.

I wonder if I raise the hive up some more if that would help? The bees don't seem to even try going after the ants though.


----------



## Gardenside Beehives (Jun 8, 2011)

Try sprinkling cinnamon on your top cover. It will not harm the bees but should deter the ants. This is what I have been told from a local, but I haven't had the problem myself.


----------



## Katharina (May 2, 2011)

Does cinnamon work for the carpenter ants? Some members in our club say it doesn't and you have to find their hive and kill them or they will eradicate the bee hive. They said the same it true to the large red ant found in forest lands. So far I only had the tiny black sugar ants in my hive and cinnamon took care of it.


----------



## rwlaw (May 4, 2009)

Put your hive on concrete blocks, then start spraying Ortho home defense on the bottom part of the blocks in the evening . It'll only work for a couple of days for starting out as they only use one trail up the block but it does work.
Been using Ampro green label this year, it's a bait/poison sprinkle it on the area around the hives seems to be knocking the population down. Flippin' carpetener ants are close to the top of my list of "the only good one is a dead one" 
P.S. Tried cinnamon, didn't work


----------



## unhdude (Apr 21, 2011)

I thought the ants were carrying away bee larva, but I'm pretty sure now they were raising ant larva on the inner cover. Whenever I'd open the cover, each ant would pick one of them up and scurry away. I had a few on Thursday or Friday, then a bunch on Saturday before I put in some cinnamon. I only had a couple on Sunday when I looked, so it seems that the cinnamon is at least making it a less attractive home for them. I also opened up the top entrance when I last went over so that the inner cover wouldn't be so warm and inviting to the ants.

I'm going to be moving the hive a bit sometime this week hopefully. I'm going to put it on a double layer of cinder blocks instead of a single layer, I think that might help a bit. If they keep coming back I think I'm going to try diatomaceous earth next.


----------

