Will ants in my garden harm the plants and trees?

Question

I moved to a new house and decided to improve my landscaping. When I removed the old mulch from around the trees and shrubs in my front bed, I discovered it is full of ants. Do I let them be and just put new mulch on top pretending I never saw them or will they eventually take over and kill my trees and shrubs?

Answer 1

If your trees and shrubs are looking good, then the ants aren't hurting them. Leave them be.

The only way ants will harm your plants if if they make a really big ant-hill under your plants. This can dry out the roots. I had an area of lawn with a big ant-hill under it and the grass just would not grow there. I poured boiling water down the big holes and eventually they moved over to another location where it did not bother anything.

There are tons of different kinds of ants and most of them will not hurt your plants. Some are very beneficial.

Ants are necessary on peony buds for the flowers to open. Ants plant some kinds of seeds. Some ants catch and eat caterpillars.

On the other side, some ants 'farm' aphids which is not good for plants. And there are carpenter ants which are as bad as termites for wood houses.

Answer 2

It you haven't noticed them swarming on your plants you should be fine.  If you decide to get rid of them you can use a mix of cinnamon and sugar. The ants will pick up the sugar, along with the cinnamon, and take it back to their queen. Ants can’t digest cinnamon and once the queen dies from not being able to digest the cinnamon the colony will die without her.  This will not harm your plants or trees.

Answer 3

There are three ways ants can harm your trees and plants.

1. Ants love sweets. Many ants get their sweets from scale and aphids they tend... it's kind of like how a farmer tends cows to get their milk. Some ants will go as far as moving their aphids underground during inclement weather and then back on to the plant after it's passed. As you know, aphids can kill plants, especially when they're protected by ants.

2. There's also a variety of ants called Leafcutter Ants. These ants can strip a plant or even a tree clean of leaves in a matter of hours. Most plants won't survive this.

3. If the ants are aggressive, you're less likely to spend lots of time in your garden and it could become neglected.

Some will say that ants are great for gardens because they aerate the soil. Kill the ants. Worms are better for the soil AND they help break-down the organic matter in the soil into better plant food.

If it's not a vegetable, fruit or herb garden, find a good liquid spray (don't bother with granules or powder) and slay the ants.  If it is an edible garden, you'll need to go to your local garden center and ask them what they recommend.

Answer 4

Ants will not harm your plants in any way.