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?