As a gardener, you may have noticed ants crawling on your plants from time to time But do ants actually eat the plants themselves? The answer is more complex than you may think In this article, we’ll take a closer look at ant diet and feeding habits to understand which plants ants eat and how they interact with vegetation.
The Basics of Ant Diet
Ants are omnivores, meaning they eat a varied diet from multiple food groups. Different ant species have diverse preferences, but their diets generally consist of:
- Insects and insect secretions
- Dead animals
- Fungi
- Fruits and seeds
- Plant secretions like nectar and sap
- Human foods and waste
So while ants don’t directly consume most plant material, they have complex dietary relationships with vegetation.
How Ants Interact with Plants
There are a few primary ways ants interact with plants as part of their feeding habits:
-
Tending sap-sucking insects Ants protect and farm aphids, scale insects, and other sap-feeding bugs that extract nutrients from plants The ants “milk” these insects to obtain the sweet honeydew secretions they excrete
-
Dispersing seeds: Ants take fruits and carry seeds back to their nests. The discarded seeds can then germinate and grow into new plants.
-
Pollination: Some ants play a minor role in pollinating flowers as they forage for nectar. However, bees are much more significant pollinators.
-
Pruning Certain species prune leaves stems, and roots in the process of nest construction or clearing trails, which can be beneficial. But excessive pruning damages plants.
-
Herbivory: Carpenter ants and some other species do directly consume plant material, feeding on living or dead wood, roots, stems, leaves, and seeds. But most ant herbivory is insignificant.
Plants that Attract Ants
Ants are especially drawn to plants with extrafloral nectaries that secrete nectar from areas other than the flowers. Some examples include:
- Peonies
- Wild parsnips
- Desert willows
- Clematis
- Penstemon
- Rose bushes
The nectar from these plants provides food for foraging ants. Ants are also attracted to plants that harbor colonies of sap-sucking insects like aphids, where they can feast on the honeydew secreted as a byproduct.
Plants with wounds or decaying areas also attract ants, as do vegetable gardens with ripe produce. Fruit trees and vines are particularly prone to ants when the fruit is mature.
Benefits of Ants on Plants
Ants can offer some advantages to a garden when not in excess:
-
They prey on pests like caterpillars, beetle larvae, and newly hatched chicks in the soil. This reduces damage to plants.
-
Tunneling aerates soil and brings minerals closer to the surface.
-
Nutrients in ant waste piles located underground or around plants act as fertilizer.
-
Ants prune plants and haul away debris, which can prevent disease.
-
They spread seeds and pollinate, assisting plant reproduction and growth.
Problems Caused by High Ant Populations
Excessive ant populations lead to detrimental effects:
-
They farm sap-sucking insects like aphids, causing stunted growth and mold issues from honeydew buildup.
-
Too much pruning damages plants by removing leaves, buds, roots.
-
Tunnels in soil can divert water away from plant roots and cause erosion.
-
Ants bite and sting fruit, negatively impacting appearance and taste and sometimes introducing mold.
-
Large numbers congregating on plants can weigh down and break stems.
-
Fire ants inflict pain and injury on gardeners and pets.
-
Invading homes to forage for food ingredients raises hygiene concerns in kitchens.
Tips for Managing Ants in Your Garden
Here are some tips to balance the pros and cons of ants in your yard and garden:
-
Remove food spills and ripe or rotting produce to avoid attracting excessive numbers.
-
Prune and thin plants to open the canopy and prevent moisture buildup where ants and sap-sucking insects thrive.
-
Introduce beneficial predatory insects that feed on ants like green lacewings and ladybugs.
-
Use sticky barriers on plant trunks, ant bait traps, and pesticide sprays in heavily infested areas away from edible plants.
-
Introduce ant-repelling plants like pennyroyal, tansy, and peppermint near ant trails.
-
Pour boiling water on isolated colonies in garden beds to eliminate populations without chemicals.
Understanding the relationship between ants and vegetation can help you take steps toward an ecological balance in your garden. With some selective management, you can obtain the benefits ants offer plants while keeping detrimental effects at bay.
Frequency of Entities:
what plants do ants eat: 1
ants: 24
omnivores: 1
varied diet: 1
multiple food groups: 1
Different ant species: 1
diverse preferences: 1
Insects: 2
insect secretions: 2
Dead animals: 1
Fungi: 1
Fruits: 2
seeds: 2
Plant secretions: 1
nectar: 2
sap: 2
Human foods: 1
waste: 1
directly consume: 1
most plant material: 1
complex dietary relationships: 1
vegetation: 3
primary ways: 1
interact with plants: 1
part of feeding habits: 1
sap-sucking insects: 2
aphids: 1
scale insects: 1
other sap-feeding bugs: 1
extract nutrients: 1
plants: 2
“milk” these insects: 1
sweet honeydew secretions: 1
excrete: 1
Dispersing seeds: 1
take fruits: 1
carry seeds back to nests: 1
discarded seeds: 1
germinate: 1
grow into new plants: 1
Pollination: 1
minor role: 1
pollinating flowers: 1
forage for nectar: 1
bees: 1
more significant pollinators: 1
Pruning: 1
Certain species: 1
prune leaves, stems, and roots: 1
nest construction: 1
clearing trails: 1
excessive pruning: 1
damages plants: 1
Carpenter ants: 1
some other species: 1
directly consume: 1
plant material: 2
living or dead wood: 1
roots: 1
stems: 1
leaves: 1
seeds: 1
ant herbivory: 1
insignificant: 1
primarily beneficial: 1
neutral relationship: 1
most vegetation: 1
problematic in large numbers: 1
which plants attract ants: 1
extrafloral nectaries: 1
secrete nectar: 1
areas other than flowers: 1
Peonies: 1
Wild parsnips: 1
Desert willows: 1
Clematis: 1
Penstemon: 1
Rose bushes: 1
The nectar: 1
food for foraging ants: 1
sap-sucking insects: 1
aphids: 1
colonies: 1
honeydew: 1
secreted as a byproduct: 1
Plants with wounds: 1
decaying areas: 1
vegetable gardens: 1
ripe produce: 1
Fruit trees: 1
vines: 1
particularly prone to ants: 1
when fruit is mature: 1
Benefits of Ants on Plants: 1
They prey on pests: 1
caterpillars: 1
beetle larvae: 1
newly hatched chicks in the soil: 1
Reduces damage to plants: 1
Tunneling aerates soil: 1
brings minerals closer to surface: 1
Nutrients in ant waste piles: 1
located underground or around plants: 1
act as fertilizer: 1
prune plants: 1
haul away debris: 1
prevent disease: 1
spread seeds: 1
pollinate: 1
assisting plant reproduction: 1
growth: 1
Excessive ant populations: 1
detrimental effects: 1
farm sap-sucking insects: 1
aphids: 1
stunted growth: 1
mold issues: 1
honeydew buildup: 1
Too much pruning: 1
damages plants: 1
removing leaves, buds, roots: 1
Tunnels in soil: 1
divert water away from plant roots: 1
cause erosion: 1
Ants bite and sting fruit: 1
negatively impacting appearance: 1
taste: 1
sometimes introducing mold: 1
Large numbers congregating on plants: 1
weigh down: 1
break stems: 1
Fire ants: 1
inflict pain: 1
injury on gardeners: 1
pets: 1
Invading homes: 1
forage for food ingredients: 1
raises hygiene concerns: 1
kitchens: 1
Tips for Managing Ants in Garden: 1
Remove food spills: 1
ripe or rotting produce: 1
avoid attracting excessive numbers: 1
Prune and thin plants: 1
open the canopy: 1
prevent moisture buildup: 1
sap-sucking insects thrive: 1
Introduce beneficial predatory insects: 1
green lacewings: 1
ladybugs: 1
feed on ants: 1
Use sticky barriers: 1
plant trunks: 1
ant bait traps: 1
pesticide sprays: 1
heavily infested areas: 1
away from edible plants: 1
Introduce ant-repelling plants: 1
pennyroyal: 1
tansy: 1
peppermint: 1
ant trails: 1
Pour boiling water: 1
isolated colonies: 1
garden beds: 1
eliminate populations: 1
without chemicals: 1
Understanding the relationship: 1
between ants and vegetation: 1
steps toward an ecological balance: 1
garden: 1
some selective management: 1
obtain the benefits: 1
ants offer plants: 1
keeping detrimental effects at bay: 1
Taking Care of Business…literally!
One of the best qualities of our ant companions is their desire to keep things tidy. Lucky for us, this extends to our own backyards and gardens!.
Ants are natural decomposing machines and will happily take your lawn clippings, pet waste, food waste, etc. and help with the breakdown process.
Carpenter ants have a bad reputation for eating dead wood inside, but they are just as good at eating dead wood outside.
For most people, earthworms are the first living thing that comes to mind when you talk about turning the soil. But ants are just as important (if not more so) for making our dirt better.
Just think about the natural behavioral tendency for ants to tunnel, and it should start making sense. Tons of tiny ants in the soil = tons of soil being turned, every day.
Also, ants often build their nests underground, leaving food and other things they collect there to break down into good nutrients. This helps cycle important gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous, all of which make our plants very happy.
In addition, nesting ants also allows for:
- Increased water circulation
- Better access for bacteria and fungi that fix nitrogen to the nutrients they need
- nutrients that animals lower on the food chain can get to at the soil level
There is a whole category of ants known as “seed-harvesting” because they do just that. “Myrmecochory” is a clever word for this practice that sounds very scientific. Use it at cocktail parties to sound smart.
They live in mutualistic relationships with many plant species. Because they can’t move, they take on the challenge that plants face by carrying their seeds to faraway places. The first place they go is usually their underground nest. We’ve already talked about how nutrient-dense these places can be because they can store food. This leads to increased germination rates and once again, happy plants. Many interesting species we plant people tend to love, such as lilies, rely on ants for future success.
Do Ants EAT plants?
It’s natural to assume any bug on your plant is there to consume it. For ants, this is not the case at all.
Ants fall into two distinct groups: the sugar feeders and the protein/fat feeders. None of which include leafy greens!.
Even the well-known leafcutter ant is only gathering leaves to feed a fungus, which in turn feeds the ants. This is also why ants love to show up at your summer picnics: they love soda, meaty sandwiches, and potato chips.
Ants on your plants? It may indicate a bigger problem.
FAQ
What plants are ants attracted to?
What kind of plant eats ants?
How do I get rid of ants eating my plants?