Crazy Ants in Beehive

[Gypsi]

Has anyone got a fix?  I think they are taking my hives down.

[Perry]

I've used cinnamon with OK results, not sure if it would help an all out war though.

[riverbee]

gypsi,
i don't have problems with ants.....are you referring to fire ants? 
what's going on?

[blueblood]

If it's real bad, I would move the hive temporarily and if you saw the trail on the ground, hide a mix of sugar and borax just under the trail so the bees don't find it.

[Lburou]

I have them.  Feeders on a couple mating Nucs were overrun with these crazy ants.  My pest control guy called these argentine ants.  Using a KM Ant Pro Bait Station with sugarwater laced with boric acid.  (One tablespoon boric acid with one cup sugar and three cups water.)  We have millions of these ants.  They have consumed three quarts of this tonic in the last week.  It works slowly, and there are a lot of ants.  Have increased the boric acid a bit in the last batch.  HTH 

[Gypsi]

So far I do not have millions, but I do think I have one hill.

My fondness for beneficial nematodes would be why it's not worse. The ants on the hive feeders seem to be standard tiny black sugar ants, going to grease the hive stand and make sure they aren't nesting IN the hive or in the bottom part of the SBB, or on the pallet stand (which has cinderblock in water legs)

My pest control guy suggested boric acid, but the weather is perfect for beneficial nematode application tomorrow morning, so I think I am going to physically defend the hives with grease and do nematodes for all ants tomorrow.  Like we needed another imported bug

[efmesch]

Sometimes. you can get a quick fix by pouring boiling water down the ants' nest.  Of course,  you have to find the nest first, but if you can, it's worth a try.  Two or three repeats are even better and this method doesn't have any undesireable environmental side effects.

[Gypsi]

I do the boiling water if I can find the nest and it is practical, but as it is time for my annual beneficial nematode dousing anyway and the ground is moist enough for the nematodes to do well, I will probably provide my yard with protection that lasts until the drought gets too bad.

[efmesch]

Three cheers for nematodes.  Boiling water cools down, but nematodes reproduce.   

[CpnObvious]

Nematode are said to kill over 200 insects... They don't hurt bees?

[Gypsi]

probably would eat ground dwelling bees, but they only eat what burrows in the ground

[Barbarian]

Does copper tape round the hive stand legs help ?

[tbonekel]

For those of you have have never seen crazy ants, they are one weird little bug. Tiny little ants that seem to have no idea where they are going or where they have been. It appears that they just randomly walk around in circles, figure 8's, whatever. They are the new fire ants down here. I have not seen them yet this far in north Texas, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

[Gypsi]

never tried copper tape. hive stand legs in water or oil help, oiling my pipe stand might, but killing ants still is the best solution. It has rained enough I think I can do nematodes today and keep them alive. finally

[riverbee]

i just googled this, YIKES!!! one little weird bug is an understatement tbone!!! worse than fire ants......
just read the top two articles, and gypsi, wow, yeah they can decimate beehives.....

Houston braces for invasion of 'Crazy Ants'

There’s a Reason They Call Them ‘Crazy Ants’

[efmesch]

1. Gad zooks----this is serious.
2. If they came from Brazil--that's where to look for the answer to control them.  Since they aren't as big a pest there (I assume) and are under some sort of control there by ecological balances (diseases, parasites, predators...), finding them in Brazil will be the only answer to prevent their further spread and reduce their present populations.