Reviewed by Thomas B. · Last Updated September 27, 2026 · How we review
To remove ants from a hive naturally, brush out any nest you find, take away whatever drew them in (usually spilled syrup, a leaking feeder or a weak colony), and then cut their route from the ground with an oil moat or a sticky band on the stand legs. No insecticide is needed. Before doing any of that, though, work out where the ants are, because ants living under the lid of a strong colony are a nuisance, while ants inside the brood boxes of a weak one are a warning sign.
Key Takeaways
- Ants nesting between the inner cover and outer lid rarely harm a strong colony; the bees simply cannot reach that space.
- Ants inside the brood boxes usually mean the colony is too weak to defend itself or something sweet is leaking.
- Remove the nest by brushing, fix the attractant, then block the stand legs with oil moats, grease or a sticky barrier.
- Keep insecticides, borax baits and dusts away from the hive; anything that kills ants can kill bees.
- In the northern Plains, ants are mostly a summer nuisance, not the brood-raiding problem some southern beekeepers face.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Find Out Where the Ants Are
Where the ants are living tells you how worried to be. The BeeMD, an identification and diagnosis tool for honey bee problems written by entomologist Dewey Caron and colleagues, notes that ants live beneath top covers, below the bottom board or within hive walls, and that scavenger ants also turn up in front of colonies, around sugar feeders and on mite sticky boards.
Ants that merely live inside the covers of a beehive cause little harm to the bees and are more of a nuisance to the beekeeper than anything else.
| Where you find ants | What it usually means | How urgent |
|---|---|---|
| Between inner cover and outer lid, or in foam insulation on top | Ants using a warm, dry space the bees cannot patrol | Low: remove at the next visit |
| Around a feeder or on the landing board | Leaking or spilled syrup | Medium: fix the feeder now |
| Under the bottom board or on a sticky board | Scavengers feeding on debris | Low: clean up and raise the stand |
| Inside brood boxes, on comb, carrying larvae | Colony too weak to defend itself | High: strengthen or reduce the colony |
| Throughout a dead or abandoned hive | Scavenging after the colony failed | Not the cause of the loss; investigate what was |
That last row matters. Ants in a dead-out are almost always cleaning up after something else killed the colony, most often varroa, starvation or a failed queen. Blaming the ants can hide the real cause.
Step 2: Remove the Nest
On a warm day, lift the outer lid and brush the ants, eggs and white pupae off the inner cover and out of the lid with a bee brush or a handful of grass, well away from the hive. Scrape out any nest material in the corners of the lid or in a feeder rim.
- Close the gap. The BeeMD suggests allowing bees into the same space so they can control the ants. Where ants keep nesting in a void the bees cannot reach, such as an unused feeder shell or a gap under the lid, remove the void or open it to the bees instead of leaving a sheltered pocket above the colony.
- Check insulation. Foam boards, quilt boxes and wraps used for northern winters give ants a dry nesting spot. Inspect and clean them when you remove winter gear in spring.
- Move the hive if needed. If a large ant colony is nesting directly under the stand, moving the hive a few feet to fresh ground is often faster than fighting it.
Step 3: Fix Why They Came
Ants follow food. Brushing them out without fixing the attractant just invites the next wave.
- Stop syrup leaks. A pail or jar feeder that drips puts a sugar trail on the hive body and the ground. Our guide to pail feeder hole size and lid setup explains how to stop drips.
- Clean up after inspections and harvest. Burr comb scraps, dripping supers and wax cappings left in the grass all recruit ants.
- Strengthen weak colonies. Healthy, populous colonies defend their combs; weak colonies, new nucs and small splits are the ones ants overrun. Reduce the entrance, remove empty boxes the bees cannot cover, and consider combining two small colonies; see combining two small nucs. The same steps also help against robbing, covered in our plan for protecting new colonies from robbing.
Step 4: Block the Route Back
Once the hive is clean, make it hard for ants to walk back up. For ant species that attack hives, The BeeMD recommends an earth-to-hive barrier: an oil barrier, grease on the stand legs, or a sticky plant-protector product such as Tanglefoot, and warns that barriers may need to be reapplied often.
- Oil moats. Stand each leg in a can or dish of vegetable oil. Oil does not evaporate as fast as water and does not wash out as easily as grease. Our anti-ant moat stand design guide covers builds for single hives and pallets.
- Grease or sticky bands. A band of petroleum jelly or Tanglefoot around each leg works where moats are impractical. Refresh it when it collects dust and debris.
- Break the bridges. Keep grass and weeds trimmed so nothing touches the stand or boxes, and keep the hive off the ground on a proper hive stand.
- Cinnamon. A ring of ground cinnamon on the ground around the stand deters some ant species and not others. Treat it as a supplement to a barrier, not a replacement.
For longer-term prevention across a whole apiary, see our guide on how to protect beehives from ants.
What Not to Use
Ants and honey bees are close relatives, both in the order Hymenoptera, so products designed to kill ants tend to kill bees too.
- Insecticide sprays and granules on or near the hive or stand.
- Borax or boric acid baits. These are sweet by design, and foraging bees can find them.
- Dusts inside the hive. Diatomaceous earth and similar drying dusts are sometimes suggested, including by The BeeMD for spaces where ants live under the covers, but they damage insects on contact. Never put them on comb, on the landing board or anywhere bees walk.
- Motor oil moats near a garden or well; vegetable oil does the same job.
In southern states, invasive Argentine ants and red imported fire ants can genuinely overrun colonies, and a newer invader, the Asian needle ant, is spreading in the Southeast; see our Asian needle ant guide. Rusty Burlew of Honey Bee Suite describes Argentine ants as the aggressive exception to the rule that most ants are a nuisance (Honey Bee Suite). None of these are established in eastern North Dakota or western Minnesota, where hive ants are mostly scavengers and nest-seekers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ants in my beehive a problem?
Usually not, if they are living under the lid of a strong colony. They become a problem when they are inside the brood boxes, carrying larvae or honey, which usually means the colony is too weak to defend itself.
Why are ants under my inner cover?
The space between the inner cover and the outer lid is warm, dry and out of reach of the bees, which makes it an ideal ant nest site. Brush them out and remove any unused void above the colony.
Does cinnamon keep ants out of a beehive?
Cinnamon deters some ant species but not all. Use it on the ground around the stand as an extra layer, and rely on an oil moat or grease barrier as the main defense.
Can ants kill a honey bee colony?
Aggressive species such as Argentine ants or fire ants can overrun weak colonies in warmer regions. In most of the northern United States, ants are scavengers and nuisances rather than colony killers.
Is it safe to use ant bait near beehives?
No. Most ant baits are sweet and contain boric acid or another insecticide, so foraging bees can be drawn to them. Use physical barriers instead.
What oil should I use in an ant moat?
Vegetable oil is the safest choice. It lasts longer than soapy water, and it avoids the soil contamination that comes with motor oil.
