Ah! What’s up with the giant ant hill?
Published 8:36 am Thursday, June 28, 2007
Murrna Pesce wrote to ask about large, mounded anthills in her yard. She was concerned the red and black ants would eat her plants.
The ants are probably western thatching ants, said Dave Pehling, a WSU extension zoologist. The ants aren’t harmful to plants unless they grow right next to the nest mound, he said, and they prey on many harmful insects. Leave them alone unless they’re causing problems.
One pest they won’t help with is aphids. These ants love the sweet honeydew produced by aphids, and they’ll actually herd aphid colonies to protect them. If you need to get rid of aphids, by the way, just blast them with a jet of water from your hose.
Some additional information on how
deal with them, if you must.
