What's eating my sunflowers?!!!

[Poddington Pea]

I hope the pic has uploaded, these are my sunflowers, started in pots and doing really well outside. Except, something is eating them! one has been thoroughly obliterated. I have seen no slugs, snails, caterpillasrs, but there are a REDICULOUS amount of black and red ants in our garden, could it be them? what can I do to protect my plants from these 'orrible creatures? I don't really want to use pestcides, but everywhere I dig there are more ants. Reds are in the majority, I have a young son and do not want him to be bitten, please help!

Many thanks
x

[Gearoid]

Probably slugs even though you can't see them. They love young sunflowers.

[Two_Sheds]

Ants don't eat sunflowers. It will be tiny slugs or baby snails, check underneath pots etc for their daytime hiding place

[Poddington Pea]

Sorry I can't upload the picture. I'll go out tonight looking for slugs, should I be worried about all the ants? Is there anything they will eat? There are colonies everywhere, you literally cannot dig without finding one!

[Two_Sheds]

You need to make your photo much smaller. I use resizr.com

Ants are only a problem if their tunnels occasionally uproot small plants (eg. lettuce) - your apple tree is safe
They also farm aphids, so if the ants are busy up and down, they are milking (& protecting) the aphids. Having said that, aphids provide food for baby blue tits etc, so I still wouldn't be overly worried

My garden is full of red ant nests too, and I'm in the garden 12 hrs a day: I can't say I've ever been stung. It is possible, but not worth worrying about

Slugs on the other hand ... kill 'em all I did a slug hunt last night with a torch, and found 52 of the beasties, most no longer than your baby fingernail