Ants

Ants

Ants belong to the family Formicidae and are characterized by the fact that they have no wings. The exception is the females during mating, when they are winged. The head of the ant has protruding gnawing organs. The abdomen is connected with the breast by a thin stalk.

Ants penetrate bee colonies and rob them of honey, which they carry into their nests. With a massive attack, they can carry up to 1 kg of honey and more within 24 hours. Sometimes ants arrange their nests in the interstitial hive space, and sometimes during rains they transfer to the warming material of their larvae.

Some species of ants catch bees on beehive flocks and destroy them. At the same time, ants perform great sanitary work in the apiary, destroying the corpses of bees who died from infectious diseases.

The bees are harmed by ants living in houses, gardens and forests. The most frequently harmed bees is the ants of the genera Monmorium (Monmorium pharaonus), Theidole (Thei-dole nugalocephala, Tetramonium caespitum). The red ant (Formica rufa), garden and forest ants belonging to the genus Lasius (Lasius niger – garden, Lasius emerinatus – red-backed brownie) and others attack the bees as well.

Prevention. Apiary put on the site is well cleaned of ants, which nests cut, tear nest and pour boiling water with the oil, kerosene, or 1% cresol or decoction of poisonous plant roots: aconite (fighter), delphinium (larkspur) anabasis ( hedgehog) or chegery. Undeveloped nests of ants can be left no closer than 100-150 m from the apiary.

In the temporary setting of bees in places heavily populated by ants, measures are taken to protect the bees from penetrating into their nests of ants. In this case: 1) the legs of the hives are put in cans filled with water, oil or kerosene, 2) the legs of the hives are lubricated around with oil, autoglass, solidol and other mineral oils. The latter can be mixed with pentachlorine or hexachlorocyclohexane. Planting tomatoes in an apiary deters ants from the territory of the apiary.

Control measures. When ants attack bee colonies or honey containers, they destroy the attacking ants by pollinating the tracks with organophosphorous poisons or by spreading baits from bran moistened with a 3% solution of arsenious sodium and flavored with sugary substances. When spraying pentachlorin and poisonous baits, measures against the possible poisoning of bees and pets should be applied.

When detecting ant nests in inter-walled beehive spaces, bees are transplanted into other hives. The ants are banished and the hives are repaired.



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Ants