Do Ants Damage Gardens?
Ants are one of the most common garden pests, though the effect these insects have on garden plants is often misunderstood. While it is true that ants may cause some small damage to your garden, these highly intelligent creatures also have a number of positive effects that will help your garden flourish. Ants are often problematic to gardeners only when their colony reaches an overwhelming size and the entire garden becomes infested. Does this Spark an idea?
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Harvesting Dead Matter
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Ants are omnivorous scavengers and will eat both other insects and plant matter. Ants will scavenge and harvest dead plant matter, fungus and other organisms leaving your garden healthier as the rotting matter is removed from the plants. Ants will not eat healthy plants in a garden, so leaves, trees, flowers and vegetables should suffer no damage from a colony of garden ants.
Pollination
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Ants can also serve as minor pollinators in a garden. As the ants crawl around the garden harvesting food and nectar, their bodies pick up pollen that is spread throughout the garden. Pollination is essential for every healthy garden, so this is another positive effect ants will have if you allow the colony to stay. According to Wasatch Gardens, ants are particularly good at pollinating low-growing plants with small flowers.
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Root Disturbance
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When you look at an ant hill, you are seeing only a small portion of the ant colony. Ants build large, complex dwellings underground that are much larger than the hill that serves as the entrance and exit to the nest. As ants build their dwelling underground, they can disturb the roots of the plants, which will deprive the plant of water. To discourage ants from building their nest directly under a garden, keep the soil moist at all times. Ants do not like water and will avoid building under a garden if the ground is always wet.
Symbiotic Relationship With Aphids
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Ants will engage in a symbiotic relationship with aphids, which can harm your garden. Aphids secrete a sugary substance that ants eat, and in return the ants will protect the aphids from predators, allowing them to infest your garden. Aphids will eat your plants and reproduce quickly, so your garden may be destroyed if a colony of aphids moves in and ants are present.
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References
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