Recently, when browsing the bee circle, a picture taken by a friend caught the author's attention, the picture content is a group of yellow ants carrying the body of the bee, as shown in the following figure:
The ant in the picture is called the yellow ant, also known as the yellow orange ant, mangrove ant, acid ant, and nesting ant. But don't underestimate them, unlike the black of ordinary ants, this yellow throughout is also expressing their difference. They are fiercely aggressive and are therefore used in biological control, such as citrus pest control. There have been several literature studies on the effect of yellow lynx ants in pest biological control, and it has to be said that the effect is very significant.
However, beekeepers must also pay attention to the fact that although they can be used for the control of diseases and pests of fruit and vegetable crops, do not rush to try to use them for control, be careful that they will attack the swarm and suffer heavy losses!
Yellow fox ants are tropical ants, mainly distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Yunnan and other warm southern provinces in China. Like the heat of their region, they are very fierce, good at preying on other small insects, and are even known for their biological control. Their habits make them prefer to build on trees with dense branches and leaves, and to collect leaves to combine the silk spit out by the larvae to build nests. The denser the trees, the more trees they have, and they will also prey on insects that are nearby.
But for insects that are far away from their nests, they also come out of their nests to hunt, including elevated hives, and they will also approach and wait for opportunities to catch bees. I have seen photos and videos shared by beekeepers, and the basket used to raise the hive is covered with yellow ants, which are ambushed near the nest door of the hive, waiting for the opportunity to move and prey on the passing bees. Dozens of bees have died under their attacks and are on their way back to their nests.
Although the bees that prey on each time are not worth mentioning compared to an entire swarm, they cannot withstand the large number of yellow ants and their continuous predation. If you are not careful, the group will be greatly reduced, and the heavy will be destroyed.
Yellow ants will not only nest around the hive to round up, they will also hide around the flowers of the honey powder source plant, take advantage of its lack of preparation, and then attack. Some scholars have also studied the predation of large bees by yellow ants, and observed and recorded the phenomenon that yellow ants hide around the flowers and are ready to catch large bees.
Since the yellow fox ant appears in the field of vision as a biologically controlled beneficial insect, there is no more research on how to control it. However, if a bee friend encounters a yellow fox ant harming the bee colony, it can also apply gasoline on the hive bracket, which can play a certain role in avoidance; it can also go to the surrounding leafy trees to find a nest according to its habits, and destroy the whole nest at one time.
It should be noted that during the control process, do not directly touch the yellow fox ant. The ant ant is more toxic and stinging when sprayed, and some bee friends who have experienced it have also said that they will blister.
I don't know if beekeepers have also encountered the harm of yellow ants, and what are the better control measures. If you are interested, you can download the Dr. Bee app to exchange beekeeping knowledge and beekeeping technology with beekeepers across the country on the platform!
Article Source: Dr. Bee app