Ants???

[NZDan]

I have heard somewhere that cornmeal is good for getting rid of ants in the hive. Is this just the standard cornmeal flour from the supermarket?
I hope so because I have found some lovely Gluten Free cornmeal flour at New World, so they go in a healthy way 😀

 

[yesbut]

I have heard they don't like handfuls of green grass either

 

[Mummzie]

what is different between Gluten Free cornmeal, and cornmeal?

And yes, fresh green grass on the crown board clears ants from there.
Are your ants in the hive on the comb or on top of the crown board @NZDan ?

 

[NZDan]

what is different between Gluten Free cornmeal, and cornmeal?

And yes, fresh green grass on the crown board clears ants from there.
Are your ants in the hive on the comb or on top of the crown board @NZDan ?

Gluten free makes them healthy and happy when I send them to their maker 😀

And thanks for the grass tip, I will give it a go.

 

[Grant]

But nothing likes gluten free anything by choice.

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

But nothing likes gluten free anything by choice.

Yep. So correct. The ants will flee from Gluten free.

 

[John B]

Generally speaking ants don't do that much harm. I have tried the green grass and also banana skins with no real success.
Argentine ants are a different story and they can and do kill hives. Poisoning them or creating a physical barrier using grease or water is the only real answer for these creatures.

 

[Otto]

what is different between Gluten Free cornmeal, and cornmeal?

Gluten free cornmeal is the one that you leave at the supermarket for those that genuinely need it to be gluten free.
I know some see it as trendy but even trace amounts of gluten make some people very crook.

 

[mydoghasfleas]

Mix cornmeal and a little baking soda together. This makes the ants blow up and die. As ants don't fart they blow up and die.

 

[Alastair]

Vespex works

 

[Trevor Gillbanks]

Vespex works

What. On ants. I have not tried that.

 

[Alastair]

Yes ants. You just put a crumb of it on the ant trail, they chop it up and carry it away, day or two later no ants.

Would not recommend using it in a hive, such as under the lid, of course

 

[Otto]

Yes ants. You just put a crumb of it on the ant trail, they chop it up and carry it away, day or two later no ants.

Would not recommend using it in a hive, such as under the lid, of course

I'd be pretty careful saying this sort of thing. Vespex was developed very specifically for wasps and you have to take a training course to make sure you know how to use it in the only legal way. Can't remember if you actually had to sign contract for using it but I would not be claiming that I use it off label...

 

[Otto]

As for ants, I don't recall ever having seen one in a beehive down here in Dunedin. Never get any inside either. If you spill sugary things in the kitchen you actually have to clean it up yourself.

 

[Alastair]

Fair comment Otto.

Up here there can be plenty of ants in a beehive, primarily under the lid and on top of the hive mat. In bad cases the mat can be black with them.

Or in an area heavily infested with argentine ants they can go right inside the hive in huge numbers and drive away the bees.

The way I discovered vespex is effective on ants is from seeing an ant trail going into the plastic trap you put the vespex in, and they were actually carrying little bits of vespex away. So wow, i thought, let's see what happens next time I'm here. Next time, the hive right next to that tree that had a major ant colony, had none. or more correctly, just some dead ones.

 

[mischief]

Try cinnamon powder. Non toxic and they do Not like it.