Ants

[Bex]

Moved one of my flower buckets with spring onion in today to be welcomed by an infestation of ants, the bucket had loads in too. Will this damage my crop?


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[MrsCordial]

I'd like to know too, as I discovered I was planting peas into an ants' nest the other day I tend to assume ants, like worms, are a good sign in a garden, but am entirely prepared to be wrong!

[chefgage]

Every year i get ants nests under my potato tubs. Never seem to do any damage

[KevinM67]

It's because your soil is dry - they don't really cause any harm, however for veg to grow well the ground will need a good soaking beforehand. This will get rid of them.

[HavercroftHomegrowns]

I've come across a couple of ant nests, much to my distress whilst sticking my hand under the soil to pull up some nettles and pulling up a handful of ants and larvae... Gave them a good dousing of water and they left although I can't see them having negative effects on your crops as they tmake dead plant matter under the nest and feed from the mould that grows on it!

[brownfingers]

Must be different from Cudworth ants. Mine thrive on a good soaking.

[AdrianC]

It depends on the species. The common Black ant (Lasius niger) actually farms aphids to feed on their lovely sweet excretions ! Amazing to watch them herding the aphids on the plants before dragging them back down into the nest at night.

My entire garden has Lasius niger colonies and despite them covering my salad crops and spuds with aphids, I've had no issues. Fingers crossed it'll continue that way as I love watching ants

[HavercroftHomegrowns]

Hmm, I knew about ants and aphids but thought it was only rarer species, learn something new everyday, damn I love symbiosis

[snakeshack]

Symbiosis is great until it's happening on your cherry tree and beans


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[HavercroftHomegrowns]

Glad they wernt black ants then, they were right next to my greenhouse and I have an aphid problem anyway