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box House Bee
Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 14 Location: Aalborg, Denmark
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 6:50 am Post subject: keeping big red ants out of my hives ? |
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Hi all
in one of my bee yards where I have my warré hives I also have the big
red forrest ants.
every spring they are testing my defence and sometimes there is a branch
or weed totching a hive ,if I dont get there the hive is gone in a matter of hours.
under the bottom board i have made "legs" with some large skrews wich is
coated in axel greace and placed in cups filled with oil.
this helps a lot , but none the less i still loose a hive now and again ,so i was
hopeing that some in here have some ideas ,to a more leave alone idea.
The ants are a protected spiecies in Denmark and besides that they have as
much a right to be there as me, so anything killing them is not an option . |
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trekmate Golden Bee

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 1137 Location: UK, North Yorkshire, Bentham
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:01 am Post subject: |
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I've no experience of your forest ants, but generally ants rely on formic acid as a defence mechanism. As a result they avoid alkali which could neutralize their defence. Would spreading lime around the hive help to repel them? |
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Robert Guard Bee
Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 66 Location: USA, Spring Branch, Texas
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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I use DE on the groud around the hive, beneficial nematodes, and chickens. My ant problems are gone.  |
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BBC Scout Bee
Joined: 11 Jul 2012 Posts: 407 Location: Bicker, Lincolnshire, UK
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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2015 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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If their only means of access is via touching foliage, then you might want to consider mulching around the base of each hive ? And, as trekmate has suggested, adding a few handfuls of wood ash to the mulch wouldn't be a bad idea ... |
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box House Bee
Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 14 Location: Aalborg, Denmark
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 8:51 am Post subject: |
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great info, thanks!
It is general in the early spring they are a problem ,and like the bees the ants are looking for food as soon as the snow is gone, and the hives is a buffet
it is a outyard, that is why i dont come round as often , so i will try the
lime ,ash and DE and see what works here. |
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box House Bee
Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 14 Location: Aalborg, Denmark
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trekmate Golden Bee

Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 1137 Location: UK, North Yorkshire, Bentham
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | Wikipedia:- Formica rufa is commonly used in forestry and is often introduced into an area as a form of pest management. |
So there is a chance that they will help with SHB, Varroa, Wax moth..... |
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dustinbajer New Bee
Joined: 20 Dec 2019 Posts: 6 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:02 pm Post subject: Diatomaceous Earth |
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I manage a few hives that have some monster ant hills nearby so I build a stand and placed the feet of the stand into some inverted cups that I keep filled with vegetable oil. This makes a physical barrier that's difficult for the ants to cross.
As an extra level of deterrent, I occasionally sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the hive. The diatomaceous earth is sharp and will cut the bodies of the ants. Since the bees fly over the top, I haven't noticed any negative effects on the bees. |
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dustinbajer New Bee
Joined: 20 Dec 2019 Posts: 6 Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:18 pm Post subject: Diatomaceous Earth |
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I manage a few hives that have some monster ant hills nearby so I build a stand and placed the feet of the stand into some inverted cups that I keep filled with vegetable oil. This makes a physical barrier that's difficult for the ants to cross.
As an extra level of deterrent, I occasionally sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the hive. The diatomaceous earth is sharp and will cut the bodies of the ants. Since the bees fly over the top, I haven't noticed any negative effects on the bees. |
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