On 31/07/2014 21:27, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Whilst pulling weeds today, I pull up a root and exposed a
large black ants nest,( and the damned things got all over
me!). As there were a lot of small winged ants there, my
immediate instinct was to dig out the ant powder fom the shed,
but....

I suddenly wondered: Do ants do good or harm in the garden,? Do
we need them? Are the flying horrors best off despatched?

I realise that poor ignorant man that I am, I don't know!

Usually, if not near the house, they aren't a problem. If they start
looking for food or a new nesting place inside, some dissuasion is required.

The biggest problem I have found is ants excavating pots for new nests,
Ants typically look for dry places to nest, and a pot which has a
cactus or succulent plant often makes an ideal home, as it doesn't tend
to get watered much. Also, pots used for bulbs which are dormant in
summer, and are allowed to dry out, can also be a target.

If it's a small pot, it isn't difficult to remove the ant-infested soil,
and replant in new, ant-free soil. But if it's a large plant in a 40+
cm pot, it isn't that easy, and you often have to deal with a mass of
swarming ants, who, not surprisingly, take exception to being evicted!

--

Jeff