Reply To: Blackfly attacking everything

[Leif]

Yes, the ants protect the aphids from predators, since the aphids are a source of food. The first year after planting two blackcurrant plants, I found the entire stems, and the curled up leaves at the top, covered in a layer of soil. You could not see the stems. I can only assume this was done by the ants for some reason, although I have been unable to find accounts of such behaviour online. It was quite bizarre. Boiling water is said to be good to kill ants in the nest, if not near plants. Keeping soil wet as said helps. I use dilute squeazy to spray currant plants, just a small bit in a litre of water. It might harm some plants though. I do use ant powder around the nests, it is not organic (well, pyrethrum is said to be, but really it is a chemical albeit low toxicity). They do have some benefit, as some ant species are required for some butterfly species to survive! But I assume garden ants are unwanted pests.