# ants in cells/new drawn comb



## gmh3 (Jun 22, 2001)

is it normal and okay for ants (2 or 3 per frame side) to be inside a cell of freshly drawn comb . comb contains small amount of nectar.

if no, what do i do about it?

thanks

george


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## mainelybees (Mar 25, 2001)

NO. Ants and bees do not mix. A small amount of Borax laundry soap on the top bars will help drive the ants out. Borax can safely be used anytime of the year , even when the bees are producing honey. Ants really do no harm but they are a nuisance that the bees shouldn't have to deal with.

Happy beekeeping.

David Wallace and Family
Maine-ly Bees
Bowdoinham, ME


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## Dee A. Lusby (Oct 4, 2000)

Sorry but borax is not legal treatment for ants in a beehive as it is a food and feed contaminate for both bees and man.

See FIFRA code Section 24(c).

Dee A. Lusby


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## DFT (Apr 1, 2001)

Can Borax be used around the hive? This morning I put on the entrance feeders and this afternoon the ants are on the feeders. I've not had this problems in the past.

I'm very hesitant to use any pesticides around the hives but the ants look like they might be a nuisance all season. The hives are about 2 feet off the ground. Would a ring of Borax around the hive prevent ants?


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

I have not found Borax to be very effective against ants. Yes it kills them, but I have dumped gallons of hot water mixed with Borax on top of and around ant hills, only to kill all the grass and find the ants have expanded beyond the mound.

Why not just get rid of the entrance feeders? This is one of their shortcomings in my book. Too easy for ants and other intruders to gain access to the feed. Go with a method that gets the feed above the bees.

I also don't get bothered by seeing some ants coming and going from the hive. They pose no real threat to the bees. I have taken the outer cover off some hives to find black carpenter ants taking up residence. This is another story and I will destroy the ants by smashing most of them with my hive tool and knocking them off. Sometimes they will return, in which case I do the same thing again. I always win in the end!

> Would a ring of Borax around the hive prevent ants? 

No.

Regards,
Barry


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## Robert Brenchley (Apr 23, 2000)

Borax in a hive would definitely be a bad idea because you would probably poison the bees as well as the ants. I've no idea whether it's legal in the States, but I've often killed ants by mixing a bit of it with jam and leaving it by the nest. A lot depends on what the ants are; I'm told that some parts of the States have species which can do real damage, but there's nothing like that in the UK, so I can't comment.

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Regards,

Robert Brenchley

[email protected]
Birmingham UK


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## mainelybees (Mar 25, 2001)

Miss Lusby,
could you forward me a copy of that particular FIFRA code Section 24(c)?
We have used borax to control ants in our hives for years with NO ill effects to man or bee.
Thank you.
David

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Maine-ly Bees
David Wallace and Family
Bowdoinham, ME
[email protected]


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## Pete0 (Mar 30, 2002)

I used some aluminum flashing and grease and fabricated some ant guards. The grease stops the ants and the flashing protects the grease. Maybe you can modify the idea to work for your hive/s. Check it out at http://users.inna.net/~ostrowsk/3page.htm 

Good luck


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## Jack (Dec 16, 2001)

What I have tried and seems to be working is, ant bait traps.I got the kind that the worker ant takes the bait/poison back to the ant colony,and wipes out the whole nest.
The entrance to the bait station is to small for the bees to get into,and I also set them away from the hives out of the way of the bees.Got them at the drug store.


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