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Will ants ruin my plants?

I have recently planted a load of plants in my garden... hydrangas, butterfly plants, rhoadadendrum and some strawberries and beans. Every time I go to water the plants I notice a lot of ants on them. I'm worried that the ants are going to ruin the plants. I've noticed the beans have got nibbled.

Public Comments

1. Gets some selvrin dust and dust the plants and ground around garden this will get rid of them.
2. The ants probably had nests in the soil of your potted plants. They aren't dangerous unless these are fire ants, which should be reported to the local government. Generally ants don't damage plants at all and don't eat them either. They may sample flower nectar however. And they tend to "farm" other bugs like aphids and scale, because the ants like sweet "honeydew" exuded from their insect livestock. Ants herd these unwanted pests all over a plant to ensure they get enough to eat. So where there are ants on trees and shrubs, you probably have other pests too. Ants are not fond of water, so you can begin flushing those pots to see which ones are the culprits. When you find them flush every couple of days to force them out and on to a new homeland outside your garden. Diatomaceous earth, a powder used for swimming pool filters is a good nontoxic ant control material. They take it into their nests where it absorbs oils in their exoskeletons and eventually weakens or kills the whole nest. Non-toxic, affordable and fine for kids and pests. But you must find the nests to scatter the powder into the holes.