Bees fanning and ants...

I was mowing the jungle yesterday and took some time to observe the bees (exterior of the hives only this time). I was about 30ft away from them and noticed, for the first time ever, that I could hear them fanning the hives. You could hear the buzzing sound and, I may be imagining things, but I thought I could hear the noise of the air passing through. This is my third year as a beekeeper and this was a neat experience.  They are trying to expel the moist air and ripen the honey.

About three weeks ago I pulled my three colonies away from the overhanging branches of the hedge apples and put them on a weed barrier that I covered with cedar mulch. I don't know if cedar mulch or moving them away from the trees made a difference, but I haven't seen any sign of ants in the hives after this year. The last two years I had to buy ant baits and install them around the hives. Mowing around the colonies is a lot simpler too! I do have a black walnut on the property so the next time I have a need I'll try Sharon Rowan's solution to ants, which is to crush a few  black walnut leaves and put them on top of the inner-cover below the top cover.