Why Ants Can Be Both Good and Bad for Your Garden

There are more than 12,000 known species of ants, and they are absolutely one of the most common insects in the worldwide garden. These hardworking beasts form complex colonies and have disturbed relationships with your garden’s ecosystem. Many gardeners, upon spotting these insects in their garden, will readily run for the ant control solutions. It is vital to recognize that they have a dual nature. 

Ants’ ecological importance, given their massive numbers, is not to be underestimated. In some ecosystems, ants may comprise 15–20% of the total terrestrial animal biomass. Their presence is like a balancing beam in your garden; they can cause an upside or a downside, depending on the species, the population density, and their interactions with other organisms. Knowing when ants are beneficial and when they are a pest can change the way you know when to get rid of pests in Orem.

Ants In Garden: Is It Good Or Bad?

Let us weigh the pros and cons of ants being present in your garden below. 

Are Ants beneficial to your garden?

Ants offer you a number of valuable ecosystem services that are helpful to the health of your garden. Ant tunneling greatly enhances the soil structure, and aeration can be improved by as much as 36% in compacted soils! 

Their networks below ground act as highways of water and nutrients to plant roots more efficiently. Many species of ants are also significant predators of damaging garden insects. Additionally, trees with weaver ants had 60–70% less pest damage than trees without ants in the same area. 

Moreover, ants also act as nature’s cleanup crew, processing organic waste and dead insects that otherwise would pile up. This process of decomposition hastens nutrient cycling, bringing needed minerals and nutrients to your plants sooner. Certain ants even assist in seed dispersal by transporting seeds that have nutrient-rich appendages (elaiosomes) back to their nests, effectively planting them in nutrient-enhanced soil.

So, why are ants bad for your garden?

The answer is yes and no both. Here is now: 

• Structural Damage to Plants

Certain ants, especially carpenter ants, can tunnel through woody plants. They already prefer wood that is damaged or rotten, according to research, but they can extend their nests into healthy plant tissue, weakening structural integrity over time.

• Nest Disruption

Ant colonies in close proximity to plant roots can alter root systems and hint at plant stability and nutrient uptake. A single large colony is known to remove 4-5 pounds of soil per square foot, exposing roots and creating an uneven surface in the garden.

Should You Still Call Pest Control?

Whether you should call professional pest control or not for managing the ants, depends on a few factors. Not every ant-related issue calls for outside help. Only about 14 percent of ant sightings in gardens are problematic infestations needing treatment.

If you recognize some invasive species, such as fire ants, which deliver painful stings that can produce strong reactions, then professional control is advised. Fire ants are capable of stinging multiple times and, statistics show, that about 5% of people are anaphylactically sensitive to fire ant stings.

Professional pest control services can be utilized to identify different species of ants present in your garden, assess whether they are real threats, and apply targeted control methods that can also keep beneficial insects intact.