can we talk about ants ?

[sunnyhills]

I have a lot of nests in my garden ,particularly under the stones that edge the border that gets the most sun .

But also nests in the grass on the opposite side which is shady .

I suppose ideally I wish they weren't there ,particularly as I get bitten when weeding and edging .

I have resisted whole scale slaughter ,I keep telling myself that they are part of an eco system ( are they ? ) and that they don't harm the plants .But what about the aphids they "farm" ? Do they increase the aphid population ?

What should I do ? I feel they are increasing .

Black ants do 'farm' aphids and it's a real pain. If you want get rid of the aphids then either spray with an insecticide or you can squish them. As the plant grows and the aphids go through another life-cycle they may disappear anyway. Black ants can't hurt you though so I'm guessing you've got red ants. These are tricky to get rid of but they don't like damp soil. So I would suggest you are very diligent with your watering and see if you can encourage them to move elsewhere.

Aah - yes red ants where it's hot and dry .Do they really not farm aphids ?
And I do believe it's black ants over where it's cooler .

Right - I'm off to google ants .

oh dear RHS says
If a colony is destroyed it is likely that its place will be taken by in-coming queen ants, which take over the territory and establish even more new nests

and lots of other people talking about lawns alive with ants

I'm doomed ,doomed I tell you

We also appear plagued by ant nests. I put some nippon down but the daft dog kept trying to lick it, I ran off to google ants and animal safe ant killer for some article to suggest ants are incredibly intelligent and suspected of emotions....which somewhat scarred me and has made me unable to kill them.
We have an agreement, they stay outside, I don't try and poison them. so far it is working.
Ours however surround a leaky pond so im not so sure how true it is they dislike the damp

Yes I really don't want to kill them or engage in WMD .But will they eventually take over the whole garden ?

sunnyhills
No, they won't take over. Black ants are a pain as they farm aphids and will move them to form new colonies, I use diluted washing up liquid in a spray to try and manage them. Red ants do eat a lot of insects, but are pretty hopeless hunters. All ants will eat ripe fruit, so pick up any windfalls.

Thanks Ifailed that does reassure me .

I have thought that about fallen fruit ,There is an overhanging apple tree and also a cherry plum . The latter just rains fruit down and overnight turns into a disintegrating mess .Neither are in our garden .