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Ants - Friend or Foe?

Jenny_AsterJenny_Aster Posts: 945
in Wildlife gardening
Today while weeding around a climbing rose that's growing by our back door, I noticed a pile of sand that looked to have poured out from an air brick. Without thinking I flicked the sand and it crumbled. It turned out the sand was a vertical tunnel, behind it were several ants trying to pull a centipede type insect up the wall and into the air brick. Parts of the tunnel hadn't collapsed and I could see it was built in a sort of honeycomb structure, it was quite beautiful, and of course I felt guilty having destroyed it. 

I'd really like the ants to go away. I've read that mint is a deterrent, but it didn't work in this case as I had to remove quite a bit of mint root that had the potential to be rampant around the rose. 

Should I just leave the ants to do their thing, or do you think they could be a friend? If they're living in the structure of the house, could they become a problem?


Trying to be the person my dog thinks I am! 

Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I think they can be both. When they built a huge mound around my rhubarb they were foe! I didn't like them climbing the walls of my house in France then dropping through the ceilings  into the bedrooms either.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Jenny_AsterJenny_Aster Posts: 945
    No, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like that either  :#
    Trying to be the person my dog thinks I am! 

    Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    They are food for certain birds that visit the garden so good as far as that goes.

    If they make their nests in the roots of your plants they become enemies as their tunnels will leave plant roots hanging in air and unable to take up nutrients or water and the plant will suffer.   They also farm aphids, deliberately carrying them onto plants and then guarding them from predators so they can collect their honeydew to feed to their larvae.   

    You can discourage them by making sure your plants and pots are thoroughly watered.  pennyroyal is a deterrent and pouring a solution of 1 small bottle of essential oil of cloves in a 10 litre can of water and pouring it over affected pots and plants.  They don't like the smell and move on.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Jenny_AsterJenny_Aster Posts: 945
    edited April 2023
    Thanks @Obelixx I've just ordered some oil of cloves, will give that a try. It doesn't look like a big ant colony ATM, so maybe I'm deterring at the right time. Already this year I've had to remove aphids from the climbing rose twice by water spray.

    Been doing a bit of research on the internet and wondered about Diatomaceous earth, but I've not heard of that before and wondered if it's safe to use, I don't want to kill friendly insects like ladybirds. Though I might just buy some to use around tender plants to help keep the dreaded slugs off. 
    Trying to be the person my dog thinks I am! 

    Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    @Jenny_Aster I've used diatomaceous earth in our hen house and the polytunnel where they run in winter and it also goes in their feed.  It helps prevent the eggs and larvae of intestinal worms from growing to maturity and becoming a literal PITA.   It's safe for earthworms and can be used in wormeries to reduce fungus gnats and, apparently, ants.

    I've just found a nest of snails in among the pots over-wintering in the polytunnels so will be applying some DE to those pots and the polytunnel neds when I clear it all out for planting tomatoes.   I haven't used it with ants as the target so can't say I've notoced any change in their habits but maybe worth a try.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    It really depends where they are and what they are doing.  If I find a nest in the garden I generally leave them to it.  When they are undermining patio slabs or block paving they get zapped.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If ants have set up home where you don’t want them, keep the soil well watered for a couple of weeks … they’ll move to higher drier ground. 
    Otherwise they’re fascinating creatures and an important part of the ecosystem 😊 🐜 🐜 🐜 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    Dovefromabove said:
    If ants have set up home where you don’t want them, keep the soil well watered for a couple of weeks … they’ll move to higher drier ground. 
    Otherwise they’re fascinating creatures and an important part of the ecosystem 😊 🐜 🐜 🐜 
    fascinating, except when they find their way indoors, and during the "flying" season at the height of summer.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    We have lots of ants and lots of space so I do leave them alone which means we get visitors such as green woodpeckers coming to scoff them.

    It can get uncomfortable when I distrb them in a border when I'm weeding barefoot in just flip-flops and I do draw the line at ants' nests in pots but regular watering avoids that problem.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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