Author Topic: Australian sugar ants  (Read 3392 times)

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omnimirage

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Australian sugar ants
« on: January 20, 2018, 12:26:05 am »
When I first started out beekeeping, my bees were getting mutilated and attacked by bull ants; it was quite a terrifying sight, to see my beloved honeybees setting up a wall formation of guard bees at the hive entrance against this large gang of bullants, who would constantly lash out and pile onto honeybees at any opportunity, seeing a line of ants walking around carrying beeheads and other parts. I quickly built stands and placed legs into sump oil, in order to protect the bees.

Now I build stands for every hive that I have. I've managed to stumble across numerous objects that I've used for makeshift stands and when to the time consuming, expensive route of building some stands as needed. One of these stands is set up at a site where the owner says they get a fair amount of ants there. I've discovered though, that there's no bull ants, there's just these little black sugar ants present. These are but a fraction of the size of the bullants, and don't seem as aggressive.

I've also saw that the oil trap at this site buggered up, the back legs had no oil in them meaning ants could freely walk up the stand, into the hive. However, they have not done so.

I'm left wondering; do I even need to take such protective measures against sugar ants? Can just sitting them off the ground via some bricks, be just as sufficient?

Offline tedh

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2018, 08:03:29 am »
We use ground cinnamon to keep ants away, strange but true.  Ted
Share that which you have an abundance of.  In doing so both the giver and receiver are enriched.

omnimirage

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2018, 02:46:15 pm »
How often do you need to reapply cinnamon? Where do you buy it to get it cheap enough to wanna do that? Some bulk provider?

Offline tedh

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2018, 05:38:16 pm »
We usually get ants on the inner cover so we sprinkle a small amount of ground cinnamon on it.  It really doesn't take much so we just purchase from the local grocery store.  Ted

Sorry, I missed this question: re apply as needed.  Since we usually use it inside the hive, on top of the inner cover, one application typically suffices.  Ted
Share that which you have an abundance of.  In doing so both the giver and receiver are enriched.

omnimirage

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2018, 06:19:40 pm »
Interesting Ted thanks.

Offline Lburou

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2018, 12:15:37 am »
I'm not averse to spreading insecticide under my hive stands and watering it in.  Also occasionally use DIY ant baits, feeding sugar water tainted with boric acid; (mix 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 heaping Tablespoon of boric acid, feed via ant bait stations).
Lee_Burough
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omnimirage

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2018, 04:13:58 am »
I've gathered that whatever chemicals you use around the hive, end up being found in the hive, particularly in the comb.

Offline Lburou

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2018, 03:06:35 pm »
I've gathered that whatever chemicals you use around the hive, end up being found in the hive, particularly in the comb.

My hives are on benches, about 16" above the ground, and have seen no deleterious effects from a judicious application of insecticide on the ground. None.   Acaricides (like tau-fluvalinate & coumaphos) have been used in the hive to kill mites, and do indeed show up in honeycombs. 

Quote from: Abstract found at: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054092
Acaricide, Fungicide and Drug Interactions in Honey
Bees (Apis mellifera)
Reed M. Johnson*
Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
Abstract
Background: Chemical analysis shows that honey bees (Apis mellifera) and hive products contain many pesticides derived
from various sources. The most abundant pesticides are acaricides applied by beekeepers to control Varroa destructor.
Beekeepers also apply antimicrobial drugs to control bacterial and microsporidial diseases. Fungicides may enter the hive
when applied to nearby flowering crops. Acaricides, antimicrobial drugs and fungicides are not highly toxic to bees alone,
but in combination there is potential for heightened toxicity due to interactive effects.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Laboratory bioassays based on mortality rates in adult worker bees demonstrated
interactive effects among acaricides, as well as between acaricides and antimicrobial drugs and between acaricides and
fungicides. Toxicity of the acaricide tau-fluvalinate increased in combination with other acaricides and most other
compounds tested (15 of 17) while amitraz toxicity was mostly unchanged (1 of 15). The sterol biosynthesis inhibiting (SBI)
fungicide prochloraz elevated the toxicity of the acaricides tau-fluvalinate, coumaphos and fenpyroximate, likely through
inhibition of detoxicative cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity. Four other SBI fungicides increased the toxicity of taufluvalinate
in a dose-dependent manner, although possible evidence of P450 induction was observed at the lowest
fungicide doses. Non-transitive interactions between some acaricides were observed. Sublethal amitraz pre-treatment
increased the toxicity of the three P450-detoxified acaricides, but amitraz toxicity was not changed by sublethal treatment
with the same three acaricides. A two-fold change in the toxicity of tau-fluvalinate was observed between years, suggesting
a possible change in the genetic composition of the bees tested.
Conclusions/Significance: Interactions with acaricides in honey bees are similar to drug interactions in other animals in that
P450-mediated detoxication appears to play an important role. Evidence of non-transivity, year-to-year variation and
induction of detoxication enzymes indicates that pesticide interactions in bees may be as complex as drug interactions in
mammals.

Lee_Burough

Offline neillsayers

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2018, 09:19:26 pm »
Lee,
Thanks for the bait station design. I will build a couple this winter to try next year I think.
Neill Sayers
Herbhome Bees
USDA Zone 7a

Offline Lburou

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2018, 11:32:03 pm »
Lee,
Thanks for the bait station design. I will build a couple this winter to try next year I think.
We have millions of these Argentine ants, plus fire ants.  These ant baits control the ants in my neighborhood pretty well for a radius of 25-50 feet.  Take the baits away and ants return in days.  I like the boric acid as a killing agent, it is considered an organic control.  :)
Lee_Burough

Offline rober

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2018, 09:27:38 am »
lee
have you ever done a goldstar drench around or under your hives?

Offline Lburou

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2018, 07:04:00 pm »
lee
have you ever done a goldstar drench around or under your hives?
No, never have rober.  I have used granular ant killer in a tea and spread it though.  We have a lot of ants in this fairly dry part of Texas and I use granular insecticides for acute infestations and the baits down by the river for the Argentine ants.  I suspect/hope that the ant poison can inhibit crawling wax moth larva.  Ant pressure varies from year to year.  :)
Lee_Burough

Offline rober

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2018, 09:17:31 pm »
 I buy a generic permethrin at a local feed store at a fraction of the cost of goldstar. i know people use it but I've been reluctant to use permethrins directly under my hives. I do drench around them though. in one yard I have an area adjacent to the hives that I mulched with wood chips. I can't drench there because the girls are always on the chips. gathering sap for propolis?

Offline Bakersdozen

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2018, 08:51:32 am »
I am a little late to this conversation, but I just saw an advertisement for this product.  They claim it is not an insecticide. www.repelant.com  There is a short video that explains how the product works.  It looks like you can buy this through Amazon.  Apparently you spray or paint it on vertical surfaces, the bees can't attach to the surface so they eventually give up. 

Offline Lastfling

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Re: Australian sugar ants
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2018, 11:51:12 am »
Pricey but if it works ... 


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