Ants in the Vegetable Garden: Mostly Harmless, Manage If Needed

Ants laying eggs, eating plants underground. Asks how to get rid of them.

Ants Don't Harm Plants Directly

• They farm aphids for honeydew — **aphids are the real problem**.
• Some bite — nuisance.

Management

• Control aphids (soap, neem, ladybugs) → ants leave.
• Disrupt mounds (rake, water) → they relocate nearby.
• Boiling water on mound — kills but also seedlings.
• Diatomaceous earth around beds.

Focus on aphids; ants are secondary.