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Getting Antsy: Ants in the Garden

The Surprising Benefits of Ants

George and Becky Lohmiller
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Ants are among the most successful of insects, outnumbering all other individual animals combined. They have been around since the days of the dinosaurs and inhabit just about every corner of Earth. Their presence in nature is essential to the well-being of the garden and environment. See why … 

The total ant population is estimated at one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000). Wow!  

Ant Colonies

Ants live in colonies made up almost entirely of non-mating female workers whose job is to gather food, build the nest, and look after the egg-laying queen and her young. At certain times, winged males and females are produced by the queen for the purpose of mating with ants from other colonies. After mating, the male ants die, and the mated queens fly off, shed their wings, and start new colonies.

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The Benefits of Ants

Although some species, like the carpenter ant and the stinging fire ant, can be pests, ants are generally beneficial.

  • Most ants nest in the ground, digging a labyrinth of tunnels that aerate the soil and allow moisture to get to the roots of plants. They also till the soil by bringing pebbles and particles to the top
  • The leaves and insects brought into the nest as ant food decay and fertilize the surrounding plants.
  • Ants act as decomposers, feeding on organic waste, insects, or other dead animals.
  • Even carpenter ants keep the environment clean. By making their nests in dead or diseased wood, they accelerate the decomposition process. After the ants leave, fungi and bacteria grow in the galleries and break down the lignin and cellulose on large surfaces.
  • Many ants are predators and feed on insects that attack lawns and gardens, and in the process of gathering food, they often pollinate flowers and distribute seeds.
  • Ants are also the source of food for many other insects, birds, and mammals so important to the ecosystem.

What Ants Indicate

A sudden convergence of ants in the garden, or a line of ants moving up and down a tree, usually indicates the presence of aphids, mealybugs, or other sap-sucking insects that attack plants. These insects produce a substance called honeydew:

  • The ants stroke the insects with their antennas, causing the insects to excrete the sweet liquid.
  • The ants swallow it and store it in a special holding stomach called the crop.
  • The honeydew is brought back to the nest and shared with the queen and other workers.
  • Some ants even keep aphids in their nest as a farmer would keep a cow, giving them food and shelter in exchange for honeydew.

So, if you have ants on your plants, be on the lookout for aphids or other sap-sucking pests!

Did you know?

In some cultures, ants are considered delicacies. The honey-pot ants that live in our southwestern deserts gather large amounts of nectar and store it in the swollen bodies of specialized worker ants called repletes. Native Americans have snacked on these sweet ants for centuries, making them possibly the first ones ever brought to a picnic on purpose.

Pollinators and Beneficials
About The Author

George and Becky Lohmiller

George and Becky Lohmiller shared their gardening knowledge and enthusiasm with Almanac readers for more than 15 years, writing Farmer’s Calendar essays and gardening articles in previous editions of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Read More from George and Becky Lohmiller

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Comments

Betsy Weber (not verified)

3 years 4 months ago

I have tried Everything to get rid of the ants in my garden. They live in the roots of my plants. I live on a sand prairie in Wabasha MN. It doesn't matter how much mulch I add to my garden they always bring the sand back up to the surface. I'm giving up on this war with the ants....

Anne (not verified)

2 years 2 months ago

I've noticed Ants are more prolific during certain seasons; they also are affected by the weather; I left my garden ants alone; they went away on their own;

Sib (not verified)

4 years 4 months ago

I learned a very easy, natural way to remove unwanted ants that has worked well for me. You must be able to access the anthill though. First, boil a pot of water. Meanwhile, get an empty flower pot large enough to cover the opening on the top of the anthill. Plug up any drain holes. Then take the pot and the boiling water out to the anthill. Pour the water over the anthill and then place the inverted pot on top of the hole. Go back and boil one more pot of water, then take it out to the anthill again. Turn the pot right side up. The surviving ants will have gathered in there, unable to escape. Pour the boiling water into the pot and problem solved. It has worked for me.

Lisen Allocca (not verified)

4 years 9 months ago

Don't want to disturb the Colony. How do I m maintain their colony without destroying my plants.

Anne (not verified)

2 years 6 months ago

Maybe u could cover the anthills with rocks + pebbles to block their tunnels~

I woke up to about one-hundred new Anthills near my little garden; I notice they aerate the soil in a similar way earthworms do....nice~

Janine (not verified)

5 years 1 month ago

I had a house with cracks that led to the exterior, so I had ants. But they were very unobtrusive and would only show up, in neat and orderly single file, to clean up crumbs from my coffee table, kitchen counter, etc, carry them off and disappear. I also killed a roach on my floor once and didn't have the stomach to look at it, let alone clean it up; by morning it was gone. The ants had carried it away. My ants were my happy helpers, basically like a Roomba. I forbade my visitors from killing my ants.

lakeviewlady (not verified)

5 years 2 months ago

Easiest solution ever used in my garden is cornmeal- yep, plain old cheap cornmeal.
Sprinkle where ever you see the little pests, and they will disappear in a day or two.
No harm to plants, animals, or humans- seems to work without fail.

Denise Miller (not verified)

1 year 5 months ago

Yes I’ve tried cornmeal. And borax with sugar. The cornmeal did the trick I think or they moved the colony. I heard it only feeds them but I put it in my cracks of my patio and they moved from there. The first day they carried the meal off them the next day they were gone. I guess they can’t ingest it after eating and it kills them. Sone say we are only feeding them it’s a controversial subject. Now I tried borax and sugar water and added cornmeal. Made a paste but they couldn’t eat it so I put cornmeal, sugar, and borax dry on my beds and wa La . .. but watering is an issue you have to keep sprinkling it out . They seem to come back every week but not as bad. I have trillions of these tiny little ants. I know o don’t have aphids. I just planted my garden and don’t see a single one. The ants are eating my watermelon stems. So today I’m trying orange peels . Heard that sends them off too.

Gale Green (not verified)

5 years 4 months ago

Hi, On April 20 I asked a sincere question about DE and can find no one's answer. Would someone please answer me? If DE has to be dry to work (as in the garden) how can it be an effective wormer for humans, animals, etc., where it will be in a wet environment of the gut?
And now, I also have a new problem. I don't want to put out poison because I have lots of little lizards around, and I don't want them to eat an ant with poison in its system. So, how do I deal with ants stealing all my grass seed? I have seeded a small plot three different times, properly fertilized per grass seed package directions, kept it watered, and watched this thoroughfare of ants crossing my yard and hauling off the seeds I planted! Help!
Thanks, G.G.