# Ants in the hive



## gumbi17 (Jun 8, 2015)

I started with the cinnamon around the hives to break up their trail and it worked up until it rained. I also sprinkled some on top of the inner cover and it kept them from working inside the hives. I had to switch over to moats for the legs this spring because of all of the rain!


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## gnor (Jun 3, 2015)

We have the little black guys, and there are always a few on the SBB tray, scavenging tasty morsels, and maybe mites, that drop through. I see pieces of ants, too, so I don't imagine it's a life prolonging experience to venture up into the hive. I've never seen any ants on the inner covers, either.


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## sakhoney (Apr 3, 2016)

spread so amdro around the hives - ant bait


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## StellaRose (Mar 23, 2015)

We're battling ants too. They are, so far anyway, leaving the more established hives alone. They are marching in and out of the double nuc resource hive that we recently added to the yard. My husband bought a plastic kiddie pool this morning and we're going to set a could of cinderblocks in the middle of the pool and fill it up to create a large moat around that hive. Both halves of the hive are queenless (capping queen cells today hopefully), so I hope we can take care of the problem before the queen cells hatch and the bees abscond.


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## oakhillsmq (Jun 22, 2015)

My hive stand sits on four cheep plastic bowls filled with liquid dishwashing detergent. I lost two hives to ants last year. Biggest problem, they always found a way in when the grass grew too long, a limb gave them access or the Tanglefoot became ineffective (they just crawled over their comrades to eat the honey). Good luck.


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## DrJeseuss (May 28, 2015)

For my yard the small ants seem only to seek shade under the cover and often have eggs there. The carpenter ants though are terrible. I've seen them stealing everything including brood or lost lone guard bees. Seal cracks so they don't have a private entrance.


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## brad25 (Apr 5, 2016)

I was battling black ants in my TBH's. Killing and removing dozens a day. I put bearing grease on the legs and haven't seen the first ant are any other pest.


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## Sky (Jul 7, 2015)

1 tbsp Plain laundry borax 
1 tbsp white sugar

1:1 dry mix in a jar with a screen over it so the bees can't get in or access the bait. Set the jar on it's side (so water doesn't get in, and place under hive stand. The ants will take the mix home and have a party. no more ants. 

Moats and grease work, but (IMO) are only a high maintenance and often only temporary barrier- the ants will continuously test your ability to keep the barriers intact and will breach them given a chance. I don't want to sound harsh, but eliminate the problem don't just put a band-aid on it... 

Sky


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## StellaRose (Mar 23, 2015)

I've put out borax/sugar bait traps, but so far the ants are ignoring them for the most part. I'll keep them out there, but need something immediate to prevent these colonies' demise.


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## Sky (Jul 7, 2015)

to encourage the ants....moisten your mix with a single drop of water... bait the outside of jar with sugar water, put the jar along/next to/on top of an established ant trail.... 
If you know where an active hill entrance is, you can sprinkle a bit around the entrance and cover it with a board/rock to keep the bees out - it will take a day or two to work it's magic. 
I leave the jars out spring thru fall.

if you are currently feeding your bees sugar syrup - that's a big draw - check to make sure you don't have any leaks or persistent drips - Jar feeders can be problematic with large temperature swings as the vaccuum changes with the change in internal feeder air temp and can spew syrup out faster than the bees can take it 

Sky


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## Mr.Beeman (May 19, 2012)

Ants will make a normally calm hive defensive. Cinnamon on the inner cover works real well to deter them. This is the only area of the hive that tens of thousands of them will gather. The bees can keep them at bay inside the hive because the ants cannot get away from the bees.
Terro inside a screened in pint jar works well under the hive.


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## Nabber86 (Apr 15, 2009)

Are ants really that a big of a problem? I have ants going in and out of a couple of my hives and don't see any damage being done. It's not like they are robbing out enough honey to make a difference.


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## GGBees (May 19, 2012)

Wow, you all outdid my expectations. Yes, they were mostly under the top cover. I figured the bees would help rid the hive of them, but didn't know for sure how alarmed I should be by it. I like the idea of using cinnamon, and will try the other methods if needed. Also, I wondered why one of my hives of Italians was so much more defensive than the others, and now that someone mentioned it, I realize it was the hive with the ants. They were dive-bombing my hood. Such interesting little creatures.


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