I have been digging and planting for the first time in my backyard. I must have a million ants back there. They are of the small black variety. I dont mind them being there, but I just planted a couple hundred dollars worth of bushes and flowers and I was curious as to wether they would be detrimental to the garden. Thank You
If aphids are a problem in your area and you have planted flowers that the aphids like then the ants could present a problem since they will transport aphids to the flowers and 'farm' them like cattle. Otherwise, I can't see them being any other problem.
ants themselves aren't harmful, but like she said they have a relationship with aphids. ants feed on the honeydew secreted by the aphids. ants want the honeydew supply so they protect the aphids from predators. no aphids around, not really a problem.
Thank You for the replies. My Azaleas are not doing very well, and there is considerable ant activity on them, but I am not seeing any signs of aphids. Could the ants be attracted to the wilting flowers? We have had a very moist couple of days and the flowers that were wilting are now dead and sort of moldering, should I clear them off? Soryy I am asking soo many questions, I have never tried to garden before, this is my first attempt.
It certainly won't hurt to clear off the dying flowers. I agree with the comments you've had so far about the ants and would be suspicious of them being all over the plants. In my experience this is only the case on peonies, the buds of which apparently have something that ants like, but otherwise my ants tend to stay on the ground. You can try hosing the ants off if the water jet doesn't knock the plant over, but that's probably a temporary solution. You certainly should feel welcome to post questions here, but this may be something on which you want to look for information specific to your area. You may have a county extension office (I think that's what they're called) or perhaps a gardening columnist in your newspaper has a Q&A section? Local gardening magazines or gardening books by local authors may also offer information of specific use to you.
Addendum: sorry, ants do go up other plants, as I should have realized they have to do to farm aphids. So watch for aphids, and for signs of decline in the plants.
