# Green Ants - killing and dragging bees out of hive **URL:** \ **Category:** Pests and Diseases\ **Created:** [April 8, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277 "2016-04-08T23:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/1 "2016-04-08T23:44:31Z")
Hello, We woke up this morning to ghastly horribly brutish green ants dragging bees out of the nuc entrance and killing them. The hive is on blocks. I’ll make a stand today and coat the legs in vaseline. I’ve put cinnamon around it for the time being… Does anyone else have any ideas? Broke my heart to see the poor girls being mangled. ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/2 "2016-04-08T23:49:25Z")
Lots of discussion and links here: [http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/ants-in-the-keyway/6102/2?u=dawn\_sd](http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/ants-in-the-keyway/6102/2?u=dawn_sd) Most people seem to find oil moats are the most effective. ---
**Author:** ![Fireran](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/fireran/32/2262_2.png) [@Fireran](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Fireran)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/3 "2016-04-09T03:02:10Z")
I was worried about ants and was searching the web for ideas. Cemented 1inch steel pipe made into T’s into the ground. Layer 2x4’s acrossed them. I’m going to place a ring of grease on the pipe to try and prevent the buggers from climbing up. ---
**Author:** ![Fireran](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/fireran/32/2262_2.png) [@Fireran](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Fireran)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/4 "2016-04-09T03:03:50Z")
![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/7/7ecaf5223be8b1a27370dfebfad9418d14820758.jpeg). Here is a pic. ---
**Author:** ![Fireran](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/fireran/32/2262_2.png) [@Fireran](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Fireran)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/5 "2016-04-09T03:10:38Z")
![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/6/61a4b9df6876b73747c19bb00e9bbf3eeadd9f4a.jpeg). Before the hive went on ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/6 "2016-04-09T03:16:11Z")
Impressive, Randy! The ants certainly won’t have much choice of access to your hives. Are you going to the SDBA Meeting in Balboa meeting on Monday? Splits and swarm prevention, if I remember right. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/7 "2016-04-09T05:54:12Z")
Nice!!! This is what I’ve done (blocks, grease and cans filled with oil) but I did but I find these devices made out of downpipe. Which I’ll have a go at ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/8/8cecc3c2f059708baa090aea2dbcda0b725ea739.jpg). So they are a smaller pipe inside a bigger pipe, on a piece of plastic. Filled with oil. Cd on top to stop bees drowning. At present I’ve effected an emergency solution. But will come up with something more permanent as I go. Now just have to check nuc to make sure queen is ok. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/0/0d4f8755fc395f2e6b192c2fb233a87d9ba0c9c2.png) ---
**Author:** ![Dee](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dee/32/5840_2.png) [@Dee](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dee)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 11:38am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/8 "2016-04-09T11:38:55Z")
Blimey! Aren’t there a lot of things that can kill you in Australia ? ---
**Author:** ![Valli](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/valli/32/159_2.png) [@Valli](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Valli)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/9 "2016-04-09T16:26:46Z")
@Dee as the saying goes “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/10 "2016-04-09T20:37:21Z")
To be fair… I got nothing. Yes, there are a lot of things that will kill you in Australia. But the weather can be nice¿ ---
**Author:** ![Randy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2acd7d/32.png) [@Randy](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Randy)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/11 "2016-04-12T17:19:36Z")
Try gear oil. It has a strong sulfer smell and lasts for a long time and is easily applied to the pole. I’m concerned grease might get dusty fairly quickly. Love the pole idea. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Smith](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/david_smith/32/14578_2.png) [@David\_Smith](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/David_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/12 "2016-04-13T15:53:39Z")
hi , its the Captain , I had little bugger ants at it in just one hive so I put the stand legs in water buckets - problem solved .no noticeable mosquito breeding yet , I found the ant problem seasonal and have no water in the buckets now . When they reappear , I will give them swimming lessons again but they do not like to swim so they go elsewhere . ps I float a few leaves to act as rafts for the occasional bee that takes a swim . mortality is very low on all gods creatures and seems environmentally friendlier than Greece. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Smith](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/david_smith/32/14578_2.png) [@David\_Smith](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/David_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/13 "2016-04-13T16:20:57Z")
Hi Valli , its the Captain a little off topic but here goes AN ADVERTISMENT PERHAPS - IN THE BEE MAG ;- ``` JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR LIFE ``` Apply now, Conditions of appointment , your commandments must be strictly obeyed - as follows 1 . You get no holidays . 2. Plenty of overtime . 3. You will have crowded accommodation the rest of your life . 4. you will have little rest ,no unions and no strikes allowed . 5. you are permitted to lay down your life for the greater good . 6. You may be subjected to pesticide and chemical poisoning . 7. We have an ancient health and sickness plan . 8. Being able to dance in circles is a great advantage you will learn this . 9. We have fly in fly out work arrangements but you work at both ends . 10. Your ultimate employer has millions of workers just like you and works them 7 x days a week 24hrs a day till they wear out and die . Your employer has vast life long experience as his mother often said " he was a little “B” from the day he was born and he still is. Most people agree . So apply now if you are a young healthy “BEE” YOUR FUTURE AWAITS . Cheers Captain M . ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/14 "2016-04-14T01:51:52Z")
Found this. From a local, passed resident: ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/0/0f98b251daaff625644ba0b5a2299a9965990f09.png) ---
**Author:** ![FUMDU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ebca7d/32.png) [@FUMDU](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/FUMDU)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 1:00am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/15 "2016-04-16T01:00:01Z")
There are lots of ants crawling around on the outside of the hive trying to get in. Will the bees kill them if they get in or do I need to spray the ants? If I need to spray, is there a ant killer that won’t harm the bees? ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/16 "2016-04-16T02:50:46Z")
> [@FUMDU](#): > > do I need to spray the ants Don’t spray them, but you do need to deal with them. They can starve the bees if the colony is new, by stealing their stores. Try some of these threads on the forum: > [@Do ants hurt bees?](http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/do-ants-hurt-bees/6004): > > hello . iam a new at the beekeeping and i have a ants go around , on , and in my flow hive . my question is do the ants hurt and kill the bees ? by the way i tried the cinnamon method and it didn’t work but the ants are very very small ants > [@Getting rid of ants](http://forum.honeyflow.com/t/getting-rid-of-ants/5740): > > Advice for getting rid of ants. Au. Next time you have a question, you can search the Forum with the magnifying glass tool at the upper right, to see if it has already been answered. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/17 "2016-04-16T02:54:07Z")
I found not many got in. And (after watching them for an hour or two) the bees sacrifice themselves to get rid of the ants. So one bee will come out attached to one ant and fly off to get rid of it. A bit heartbreaking. Spray will kill the bees. We… Surrounded the hive in cinnamon. Put the hive on a knocked up stand. Put the legs of the stand in oil (in big tuna tins). Then put grease (that doesn’t melt) around each leg. Pictures of the type of solutions I found. Apparently ants can wipe out a hive. Also, if they are meat eating ants (and if they are attacking the bees it’s likely) then the active ingredient you put in tick treatment for dogs (fipronyl) can be mixed with mince and put in the ant trail (away from dogs, kids etc). They will take the poisoned meat back to the nest ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/2/207190617eac3d3bee0033935198985f6ab79284.png) ![](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/f/fda6e92f2e350e6408e0d1e873a6026198b6b6d6.png) Grease in the cap ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:55am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/18 "2016-04-16T02:55:26Z")
More solutions ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/honeyflow/original/2X/1/1f664727851c92c92d85cb24f5ef76b3bfe2f3f5.png) ---
**Author:** ![Lana\_Habermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@Lana\_Habermann](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Lana_Habermann)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/19 "2016-04-16T02:58:11Z")
Google search ‘ant proof bee hive’ and go off the pictures ---
**Author:** ![Dawn\_SD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.honeyflow.com/dawn_sd/32/15954_2.png) [@Dawn\_SD](https://forum.honeyflow.com/u/Dawn_SD)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277/20 "2016-04-16T03:28:57Z")
> [@Lana\_Habermann](#): > > So one bee will come out attached to one ant and fly off to get rid of it. A bit heartbreaking. Are you sure that the bee flying out dies? They do this with trash too, then return to the hive when they have dropped it. So maybe you don’t need to grieve too much, unless you are grieving for the ant! 😈 [Next page](https://forum.honeyflow.com/t/green-ants-killing-and-dragging-bees-out-of-hive/6277.md?page=2)