Ants bring good and bad news for plant growth. Firstly, starting with the good news. Ants are predators so they eat the eggs of many insects including those who are considered as pests. They are also prey for birds, lizards and other beneficial animals.
Possibly most important ants dig tunnels which aerates the soil allowing water and nutrients to flow directly to the plant roots. They also distribute seeds by storing them in their tunnels. However, the bad news is that ants can protect honeydew-producing, sucking insects. These insects do a great amount of damage to plants.
Therefore, it is common that as long as the ant population is controlled, then you will be closer to managing scale, mealybug, aphid, and whitefly populations in the garden.
Kommentare