>>There is no practical way I can keep them away from last year's hives.

I had problems with ants so I put a coating (a three inch band) of axle grease on the landscape timbers between the concrete blocks upon which the timbers rested and the hives which were positioned on top of the landscape timbers.  That band immediately stopped the movement of the ants towards the hives.  As time passed, the grease seemed to soak into the timbers and just became a "grease spot" on the timbers.  But it seems the ants still would not cross that band.  Two months later, I still see no sigh of problems with the ants.

Mike in LA

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