In article , Tim Tyler wrote:

Maybe the people you consulted didn't pay attention to the ants -
but I reckon there are quite a few others who do. After all,
the UK Organic association and the The Royal Horticultural
Society, publicly state that ants protect aphid infestations -
and IMO, their relationship mythical or not, is pretty common
knowledge.

I find the idea that repetition of a myth by Eminent Bodies will
turn it into a fact somewhat bizarre. If they have no evidence for
their beliefs, those are prejudice. If they do, I can't find it,
and you haven't.

Then measure the Aphis fabae infestation of each plant and the crop
of beans, and analyse them. My prediction is that there would be
damn-all difference. Yours is that the ant-accessible plants would
do worse.

The equivalent - with a tarred cloth around a tree - might be simpler
still.

But it would be vastly less reliable. No matter - not even THAT
has been done.

However, this *is* the sort of experiment those wanting to
vindicate the ants might like to consider.

Guilty until proven innocent? How very scientific.

However, I'd be pretty suprised if a fairly major link between ants and
aphids was not established in the process. Ants get a good fraction of
their diet from honeydew - and IMO, the question is a *lot* like asking
what would happen to the number of cows in the UK if the humans were
removed.

Nobody is denying the link. What I am saying, and I need to repeat
for the Nth time, is that I have reason to believe that there is no
evidence that ants cause or enhance aphid infestations in the UK,
in an agricultural or horticultural context at least.

If you find any reasonable evidence for that, please post. But
please don't bother to post yet more examples of self-proclaimed
experts parrotting each others prejudices.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.