Ants on plants
Ants on a plant are usually farming aphids, scale or mealybugs for honeydew, or nesting in the pot.
What you'll see
- Trails of ants running up stems to shoot tips, buds or leaf undersides.
- Aphids, scale, mealybugs or whiteflies close by, with sticky honeydew or black sooty mold.
- Small heaps of fine soil on the pot or lawn, or ants streaming out when you water a pot.
Why it happens
Ants collect the sweet honeydew that sap-sucking insects make and guard them from ladybugs and other predators, so those pests multiply. Ants also nest in lawns, pots and among roots, which can leave roots dry.
How to fix it
- Find the honeydew makers on the plant and control them; open the aphids, scale or mealybugs page for the fix.
- Keep ants off shrubs and trees with a band of sticky barrier around the trunk, applied over a wrap, not bare bark.
- Trim branches that touch walls or other plants, so ants have to climb the trunk.
- For ants nesting in a pot, take it outdoors and soak the whole pot in water with insecticidal soap added, as the label says.
- Outdoors, use ant bait stations near trails rather than sprays, and keep kids and pets away from soaps and baits.
Keep it from coming back
- Check new growth for aphids and scale often, since ants follow them.
- Keep mulch and plants a little away from house walls, where ants like to nest.
- Leave ants alone when they aren't farming pests; they also eat other insects.
Sources
General guidance, not a diagnosis. For valuable, edible or outdoor crops, check with a local extension service or plant expert. Use any product exactly as its label says, and keep children and pets away while it dries.