Why Are There Ants on My Peony Flowers?
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Do peonies really need help from ants to bloom? Garden folklore says that ants “tickle the buds” to help the flowers open. Peonies and ants do have a mutually beneficial relationship, but it’s not quite what you may think. Here’s the story about peonies and ants—plus, tips on how to bring peonies indoors without the ants.
In late spring, we rejoice in the breathtakingly beautiful peony blossoms. However, those of us with peonies in our garden may also notice the ants’ arrival, especially around the peony’s base or on unopened buds.
Are Ants Harmful to Peonies?
Let’s get this first question out of the way. No. Absolutely not. Don’t bother brushing off those ants—or, worse, breaking out the insecticide!
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Not only are ants NOT harmful, they are actually an example of biological mutualism. The peonies provide nectar (food) for the ants; the ants protect the peonies from aphids, thrips, and other non-beneficial insect pests.
Do Peonies Need Ants to Bloom?
The enduring myth is that peonies require ants to open their buds. You may have heard ants need to “tickle the buds” or “lick the sugar” for the peonies to bloom.
Nope. A peony will open beautifully without the presence of ants.
As with most folklore, there may have once been a hint of truth to this claim, but we haven’t seen evidence for it yet. (We also like this folklore because it keeps both peonies and ants alive, and allows nature to take its course!)
Why Ants Are Attracted to Peonies
Ants are simply attracted to the sugary droplets (nectar) at the base of the green sepals that surround a peony bud. This is a great food source for ants, containing not only sugars, but also amino acids, lipids, and other organic compounds.
The ants are NOT eating the peonies. When a scout ant finds the nectar on the peony, she emits a pheromone or odor trail on the way back to her nest. At the nest, the scout alerts other ants of the food source. The recruited ants then follow the odor trail back to nectar on the peony flowers.
In turn, the ants actually provide the plant with some protection! While the ants are feeding on the nectar, they protect their food source by attacking other bud-eating pests by stinging, biting, or spraying them with acid and tossing them off the plant.
Also, the ants are temporary. Once the peony blossoms, the ants will leave the peony flower and move on to seek other food sources.
Again: If you do NOT have ants (perhaps you live on a rooftop), the peony blossoms will open regardless of the ants’ presence.
How to Get Rid of Ants on Peonies Before Bringing Indoors
We treasure our pink, red, and old-fashioned white peonies in the garden, but we also like to fill the house with their beauty and fragrance. However, how do we avoid bringing the ants inside, too?
There are a few methods:
- Cut the peony early in the morning when the dew is still heavy and most of the ants haven’t arrived. Hold the peonies by the stem just below the flower (so their head doesn’t snap off) and turn the flowers upside down. Give the flowers a few good taps on the stems just up from the flowers. This helps dislodge insects and arachnids. Use the amount of force appropriate for the stem.
- Fill a big bowl with cool water outside, then dip each peony bloom and watch the ants come out. Don’t fill the bowl too much, or they will be able to crawl out. Then gently shake/tap the water off the flower and put the stem into a ready vase so that they won’t pick up more ants. You can then release the ants and the water in the bowl back into nature.
Yet another method by professional growers is to cut the peony flowers before buds fully open. However, you need to cut the peony at the “marshmallow” stage (see picture above) in order for the buds to open indoors.
So now you know the story about ants and peonies! See the Almanac’s Peony Growing Guide for information on planting, varieties, and plant care.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hah ... this article mentions the fact that the ants leave the peony flower once the peony is in full bloom ... not true at all. Everyone I know, including myself, who like to bring peonies inside have the side effect of ants crawling all over the place even if you rinse, and rinse, and rinse the flowers under running water. My problem fixer is that I also have at least 7 tree peonies growing in my yard. Tree peonies are a bit expensive, but are well worth the expense and you can purchase varieties with enormous flowers. This year I purchased a tree peony with flowers that are multicolored and are so beautifully exotic.
ants actually protect aphids because they also secrete sticky substances for them to eat. they are known to farm them. just an fyi.
They may be different species of ants, though. I know some farm aphids, but others will kills them. Perhaps ants that would normally farm aphids will kill them if they're on the peonies because that's a threat to this food source.
When clipping spent blooms, I almost always get bit by one or two ants that find their way onto my arms.
They bite and those bites hurt a lot!
I will try doing that spent bloom clipping early in the day - will see if that will help avoid them.
Will peonies attract fire ants? These ants are a problem here, but I love peonies - Mom had some in a garden and I would love to get a few, but can't handle the fire ants.
Hi Katherine,
Ants are attracted to the nectar that is present at the base of the green sepals that surround a peony bud. It is a food source for ants, and as mentioned above, the ants in turn provide protection against non-beneficial pests.
Sources do not specify on the kind of ants that are attracted to peonies so it should be assumed that all ants are attracted to the sweet nectar. If you do not have fire ants in your yard and wish to keep them out, it would be best to avoid planting peonies and not risk sending an open invitation to visit. If they are already present on the property, you can plant some peonies with the understanding that it may attract more and you will need to be attentive when working in the garden near them when the blooms appear.
I brought some beautiful peonies from my mom's when she passed, they were big big beautiful flowers and after a couple years the ants built a anthill in them and now they only get about three inches tall and only two shoots come up.
What can I do to help keep them alive.. their dying after the ants got to them. I'm so broken đź’”.
I DO NOT KNOW WHY, BUT LAST YEAR I SPRAYED FOR TERMI TES NEAR MY PEONIES, AND THE CHEMICAL KILLED THE ANTS. FIRST TIME MY PEONIES DID NOT OPEN . SAME THING THIS YEAR, AFTER I SPRAYED. THINK I WILL LISTEN TO THE OLD TIMERS ON THIS ONE..
It could be that without the ants, aphids and other pests take over and drain the plants of resources so they don't have the energy to bloom. I think the old timers definitely have some wisdom! Perhaps they misunderstood why ants help the flowers bloom, but observed that they did in fact help.
Great article. There are quite a few peonies on my property that were planted by the previous owners. The ants always were a problem so I didn’t really enjoy the flowers. This article has changed my attitude to these lovely, antsy blooms. Thank you.
