Pavement ants in native garden - Ask Extension
I am growing a native garden in a raised bed. I found a huge mating swarm of pavement ants in the bed, and I'm unsure if I should try and kill the swa...
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Pavement ants in native garden #871139
Asked June 02, 2024, 12:16 PM EDT
I am growing a native garden in a raised bed. I found a huge mating swarm of pavement ants in the bed, and I'm unsure if I should try and kill the swarm. I don't want to hurt the native ants or my plants, and I've read that pavement ants can be somewhat beneficial. I'm unsure how to proceed to best benefit the small part of the ecosystem I inhabit.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Shelby,
Unless you feel the ants are damaging your plants I’d tolerate them. They’re part of our ecosystem now. Control in outside settings isn’t usually recommended.
If you decide you need to control them here’s some information:
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/pavement-ants/
Good luck.
