Termite issues in Belize

My flow hive is coming to Belize via the US. My concern is treating the hive for termites. We live on Corozal Bay in a mostly undeveloped area so termite nests are huge and everywhere. I would like to use a natural treatment (our B&B is ecofriendly) and am concerned that orange or neem oil would bother the bees.

Amend your order to just the flow frames and use a poly hive/super

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Having lived in the tropics I think Danger is right, a poly hive with good shade makes all kinds of sense. Barring that I would look at cypress or cedar. Local Honduran mahogany (which might be sourced in scraps from a boat yard where old boats are salvaged), might be a (heavy) good environmental solution to bugs and rot.

Hi plebrun, how would you go using 2 stands of cement blocks, say 2 high (we call them besser blocks) with galvanized tin ant caps on top of the cement blocks & 2 bits of wood on top of those to put the hive on? That’s what I’d be considering.

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What about redwood? I know it is very insect resistant. Hence why decking and fencing is so often redwood. It also resists rot. Would the bees have any issue with redwood?

I’m with @JeffH, I think ant caps are a good idea, There are a lot of houses around my area that use ant caps and it does a reasonable job to slow them down. At least with a bee hive you can walk around it and should be inspecting it on a regular basis.
Ferocious termites tend to eat all sorts of wood and can be hard to discourage, unless you use something fairly toxic to treat the timber.

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Thanks everyone for the advice, the ant caps are looking like the best idea, the goal being to keep the termites (and ants, bonus) from crawling onto the wood! Just have to source them here in Belize.

I must try the ant cap tin on my blocks as I have many ants entering my hive. IN the mean time, will the bees take care of the ants entering the hive?

Hi Amelia, I think the bees will be fine with the ants. If you put the ant caps on, the ants will go back to their nest & wont be able to return to the hive. Actually I found small ants nests in some rot in the hives, they didn’t seem to affect the bees at all. I’m slowly fixing up all my boxes. I think the main thing is to keep the hives population strong. I’m sure that in nature bees & ants cohabitate quite comfortably together.

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hello Gekoski, ant cap refers to white ants (termites). It forces termites to build a corridor out in the open where it is visible and can be dealt with. They won’t stop ordinary ants. Some species of ant (eg small black ant in inland areas where I go) can destroy a hive, others can get under lids for shelter and also scavenge inside the hive but cause no problems, and others, eg meat ants in my area, can keep the population of pest ants down. A grease or Vaseline barrier on a hive stand can help.

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I feel like a bit of a goose, I had no idea ant caps were only for termites. Well, I learned something new tonight.

Hello,

Termites can be a very serious problem for any home. If you believe that you currently have termites in your home, it is of the most importance that you take the necessary steps to ensure that you do everything you can to get rid of them.I think termites that live in small colonies that are located in dry wood. They do not have any connection to the soil. They are most often seen in the humid regions along the coast and are responsible for most of the homeowner infestations of today.
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