Well we finally made our new setup so that ants can’t get to our hives again. Here it is:
We built a wood frame, then got some long bolts and PVC caps. We drilled holes into the wood, stuck the bolts into the wood and placed the other end inside the PVC cap. The cap is filled with vegetable oil to create a moat around each leg to trap any ants. So far so good, no ants have made it past the traps.
The title says it all, really sad. After our 3 week vacation in Greece, we came home to find that 2 of our hives had been completely killed by carpenter ants.
Here is all that was left:
Even though this was a sad sight, we have hope. Our third hive is full, very full, and we actually think that some of the bees evacuated and sought refuge in the remaining hive.
So you are probably asking how will we replace the 2 hives we lost? Not to worry, we are going to split the hive we have now at the end of January/early February and create new hives that will hopefully flourish during the Spring and Summer months.
We learned a lesson and are in the process of creating an ant trap to prevent them from getting to the hives again. I’ll be sure to post that if it is successful.
We went to check up on our hives the other day and noticed a pile of dead bees and fire ants in front of the hive. We also noticed a lot of bee wings across the front entrance of the hive too. Upon opening the hive we got a good look at what was really going on. Fire ants were invading the hive and the battle was on to get rid of them. Lots of bees got injured and/or killed in the process, but it seems that everything is fine now.
When it comes to fire ants you need to keep any eye on your hive and take any measures you can to eliminate the threat. Fire ants can destroy a bee colony if they are not strong enough.
Pile of dead bees and ants
Bee wings all over hive entrance
Beelievable 