Re: OT: ants

From: Bill Shear <BILLS@hsc.edu>

Dear Nancy,

You are simply witnessing the phenomenon of swarming, where male and female
ants leave the nest to mate.  The females ("queens") will then attempt to
found new colonies; the males (most of the swarm) just die.

I doubt that your plants are in any danger from these ants.  In fact, just
the opposite might be the case since many species of ants are the major
predators of other insects in their area, destroying caterpillars, aphids,
and other pests.

However, some ants "farm" aphids, protecting them from other ants and
ladybird beetles.  The ants relish the sugary secretion of the aphids.  A
similar sweet secretion is produced by peony buds; ants are attracted and
keep off any flies, wasps or other insects that might be tempted to lay
eggs in the peony buds.  The "farmer" ants may carry aphids from plant to
plant, thus doing some slight harm.

In general, ants are not harmful to irises or other garden plants.  They
feed on other insects or scavenge for other animal food, or subsist on
sugary secretions.

Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>




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