Kirk finds bees and battles ants.

Kirk did so much bee stuff this weekend that I won't even try to summarize it.

Take a listen:


The file box bees:






The gnarly old tree:


Dismantling the tree with the spud bar:


Kirk says:

This is looking inside the void of the tree, the hollow part—I called it the "the top knot."

It was impossible to get them out without a vacuum. I don't like vacuums, so I got a Bright Idea: Put a tarp on the ground with a nuc box on top. I had cut out three frames of brood and two frames of honey from the tree, and I put those in the nuc box.

I picked up the "Top Knot" and slammed it down on the ground next to the nuc box. A big pile of bees fell out and started crawling into the box with the brood and honey frames.

Two hours later, they were ready to go.

The Farmlab bees in their bee moat:


The canola oil ant barrier:

Farmlab gets bees

Downtown LA's Farmlab hosted last Sunday's Backwards Beekeepers meeting, and the turnout and enthusiasm were strong.





Yesterday Kirk returned the favor by delivering a healthy dose of feral bees to Farmlab. Here's the story:



The dollhouse in which the swarm took refuge:

The swarm lure Kirk used to encourage the bees to stick around:

The bees inside the dollhouse:

Trooping into the nuc box:

A moat of water to deter ants:

A bucket of Tanglefoot as yet another defense against ants:

Meredith:

Kirk, triumphant:

Another ant prevention method

Kirk posted these photos to our Yahoo Group. They show another strategy against ants: a plastic tub full of water, a milk crate inside the tub, and the hive perched on the milk crate.



Backwards Beekeeper Riley followed up:

I'd have a problem with mosquitoes doing this. Perhaps some oil on top of the water?

I would guess that just a bit of bleach in the water every so often would prevent any mosquito breeding.

Get a "LEG" up on ants

Inspired by Max & Steve's photos and my own success, I collected the following photos from various posts on this blog to illustrate what seems to be a foolproof way to keep the ants out of your beehive: Put your hive on legs.

Kirkobeeo: New beekeepers, and a strategy against ants

Kirk says:

I went over to Max and Steve's to put the bees in the box for them.

Notice in the pictures the stand for the hive: the legs are in small cans with oil in them to keep the ants out.

Plus notice Max helping me tie a piece of comb in the frame. Notice her bee gear. These bees came out of a hot tub. They are wild bees that made their own queen. They sure don't seem mean to me.

You know the drill. Play the audio and scroll down for the photos.



Here's where the nuc was hanging out, on a hive stand with legs in cans of oil:


Frames and hive boxes (nice paint job!):


Max preps the smoker:


Bees in the nuc:




Bees festooning:


Notice Max's elaborate bee gear to protect against the dangerous bees:




The hive in place:


It's bee paradise!

BUGS: The Sequel

The ants go marching...

The cinnamon worked for me, for a while, but it got used up quickly and I think the ants get immune to it anyway. Now I have switched to diatomaceous earth (I got it in a 1.5 lb. box at the nursery, about $8,) which I sprinkled (OK, heaped) around the bottom edge of my support box, as well as smearing some on the as-yet-unfilled-by-propolis cracks in the hive itself. That seems to be working for the moment, as long as I am diligent about re-application.

When I do my next inspection, I am going to try to nail some legs on my support box and put them in bowls of water or oil, as has been suggested by others.

I am resigned to the fact that there are a bazillion ants in my garden. I was feeling regretful about trapping that possum who was digging pits in my strawberry beds, 'cause the uneaten ants had migrated to the hive, but now the trenches are back, worse than ever. I figure the ants must taste really good, since their little bellies are full of honey (?), but I have worked so hard on my strawberries.....so I gotta get the trap out again, repair the part of it that was chewed by the possum, and reset it.

I feel a little like I'm caught up in some kind of wild Circle of Life here. Sheesh.