Plain Talk Beekeeping
Ants: A Pest of Bees or Beekeepers?
Why did it have to be ants?
It happened quickly. Literally, the second day that two nucs were set up, black ants were already in the top feeder of one of the new colonies. Overnight, foraging ants found the internal feeder long before the bees, and the ants had to travel a much greater distance. I’m forced to admit that’s impressive.
Here’s a short version of the long story. At 17 years of age, this past spring, my oldest grandson decided to become a beekeeper. I did all I could to help him, but since we are separated by about 200 miles, I tried to simplify all common beginning bee procedures. To get around queen release procedures and establishment challenges, rather than packages, I bought two 5-frame nucs from a reputable producer. Initially, all went well.
At one time, every one of us has been a new beekeeper. We all know the exhilarating feeling. Excitement, uncertainty, ignorance, and confusion abounded on the day we moved the nucs to their new location. Even I was apprehensive, but it was a pleasant day for my grandson and me. For the record, beehives had never been at this location before.
At the close of the first day, I determined that both units needed supplemental carbohydrates. From a nearby bee supply dealer, I bought and installed two commercially manufactured top feeders. After they were on the hives, they looked nice. We put about two quarts of heavy sugar syrup in each feeder and I admonished my neophyte beekeeper grandson to check them the next day.
After snapping a few pics and feeling that — for the time being — my work there was finished, I departed on the 4-hour drive home. The next day, like an expectant parent, I eagerly anticipated the report from my new beekeeper grandson. Readers, I truly tell you that I was not expecting the report results. Overnight, one colony had completely emptied its feeder but my excited and concerned grandson blurted, “Grandpa, there are thousands of ants in the feeder of the second colony but there are no bees up there!”
Why did it have to be ants? Of all pests, why did it have to be ants? We were expecting raccoons and skunks — not ants. Ants are so hard to control within the hive and they had found the source so quickly. We all know that they are not going to readily go away. I was forced to wonder, “Are ants smarter than bees?”
My instructions to my grandson, from afar, were to remove the feeder, salvage the syrup if possible, and leave the feeder off for a couple of days. Then try the feeder again. Maybe I will suggest that my grandson install termite shields on top of the cement blocks. Clearly, we will have to change something within our management protocol.
Ants in my hives
During my long experience with bees, some ants have essentially always been in my hives. In the mid-1990s, for an earlier bee magazine article, I wrote the following comments.
Ants are probably a bigger pain for the beekeeper than for honey bees. Ants have been called the “mice of the bee hive.” It’s hard to say how big a problem ants truly are. They have been relegated to a category that skunks, armadillos, and toads occupy — minor but annoying. At times, they seem to be bad, but it’s hard to clearly say how bad. It’s a common discussion at bee meetings — “How can I keep those big red ants out my hive? They’ve already killed one and have moved into another.” Those comments have the same ring as the common wax moth statement, “The moths killed my hive!” Both statements are usually more wrong than right. It is true that fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) can make it difficult for a beekeeper to work a hive while standing in an incubation mound. It is also true that black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus DeGeer) will cut tunnels through woodenware — but do they really routinely damage the nest of a healthy colony? I cautiously offer — probably not. Honey bees have a behavior that is not well understood where they will …
