My balcony renaturation program is hitting like a truck. Going outside there is like visiting a conservation camp, and the sheer diversity of different insects and stuff is just amazing.
The only "problem" is, that my fellow ants think the same, and also started inhabiting said oasis.
They are everywhere.
I highly suspect that there might be a hive somewhere, because they are forming literal highways.
Right now, they basically just exist and aren't getting much in my way.
Some of them already found a way to get inside my apartment, and those few sadly needed to die (I feed my carnivorous plant with them).
It would be a horror if they find the pet bowl with food in there, or the trash can.
But outside? I don't care much, as long as they don't attack or harm me or my crops in any way.
Others would already have poisoned all of them, because it really looks like an infestation. My neighbours for example already did...
But realising that literally everywhere in nature it looks like this made me think that this is healthy and normal.
So, my question is:
- Can there be a TOO much? When is the point reached? When should I intervene, and how? I don't wanna kill all of them, just control the population if it really is needed.
- How about aphids? From what I know, they farm them like cattle to get the sap, and also protect them against predators like ladybugs. One of my reasons I chose to create this ecosystem is the natural regulation of pests, including aphids. Do I have to worry about that? How is it balanced in nature?
- What do they feed on? I saw them attacking an earth worm today. Do I have to worry about them killing beneficial organisms?
In my experience the best defence against ants is ants, they are very territorial.
I have had a colony of ants in a little box just inside my window for about 10 years now. They come in and out through a little crack in the window frame. The ants always stay near the window. I can even leave my food out and they won't touch it (though any food placed on the windowsill would quickly be demolished). They seem to be only there for shelter. I respect their home and they respect mine.
However in another room that doesn't have a resident colony I have problems with these pesky little ants that steal any food left out. They are so small they can even go under some lids. Their nest is outside yet they are so much more of a pain.
For you i would say there is no "nipping the colony off at the bud", the ants are already there and properly settled, they probabably would have allready found the food if they were intrested in it, but if they start being a problem and taking food then you can get rid of them.
Otherwise just keep your house boundaries (such as with diatomaceous earth or carnivorous plants or in my case nothing at all), and they will be loyal guards of your porch, defending off annoying ants and many plant pests while improving soil. (Some ants also have symbiotic relationships with certain plants such as Pseudomyrmex ferruginea with Vachellia cornigera. the plants provide food and shelter and the ants defend the plant with their life).
Idk, I love ants. They are an important part of the ecosystem, and we couldn't live without them. A loyal colony is good defence against other pests. And it's nice entertainment watching them form highways carrying food and eggs too and fro. But if they become a nuisance in the house then you do probably need to get rid of them sadly.