There are two opposing views about the presence of ants on a peony. Some gardeners claim that insects bring only harm others believe the opposite.
I on pions always had a lot of ants and I'm sure that must be fought with them. But my neighbor thinks quite differently. According to him, these insects help flowers to open up and bring only benefits. He is sure that everything in nature is interconnected and ants are natural helpers.
I decided to look into the matter, because the need to once finish the dispute. Especially, if the ants are beneficial, why should I spend so much effort on their elimination?
I began to study the issue and found an interesting thing. I'll tell you all about it.
Harm
It is no secret that ants are attracted to the peonies juice. In the course of its production, insects gnaw sepals and petals, thus seriously damaging the bud. This is done to ensure that the nutrient was allocated quickly. After such incursions, damaged buds may dry out or unfold properly.
In addition, the sweet nectar promotes active breeding ants, which in the future are beginning to spread throughout the site. In essence, peony feeds harmful insects, who are happy to continue to live and grow.
Benefit
However, not all so simple. If the bud allocates too much juice, there is a sticky film that prevents the disclosure of the flower. In this case, the ants are really starting to benefit. Excessive eating sticky sap, insects help the flower open.
Conclusion
If buds secrete too much juice, flower ants really help open up and almost did not hurt.
But, if the buds emit a normal or small amount of juice, the ants have to bite into the plant tissue, which ultimately damages the plant.
Therefore, I can conclude that the benefits of ants depends on each individual plant.
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