Ants on Iris

[Shar]

Just went out to find I have precious little ants all over my Iris. what is a safe wasy to get rid of them I also have chickens that room and don't wish to poison them.

[Jangchub]

Um, why do you want to get rid of the ants? You can look this up as it is a fact that, the largest population of insects found on the planet are ants. There are trillions of trillions of ants. They don't hurt anything and are always beneficial. Even fire ants are beneficial if you've ever seen how those boys churn up rock hard soil into loam.

[Shar]

Thanks for the come back. I have been told that ants bring aphids where can I look this up. Thanks

[Jangchub]

It's the other way around. Aphids exhude a sugary liquid as their excrement and the ants eat those drops of liquid as soon as it comes out of the aphid tushie.

You're on the Internet. The world is at your hand. Try

[Starlord]

Thanks for the come back. I have been told that ants bring aphids

They don't bring the aphids and once the aphids are there they come to milk them for the honeydrew they make which the ants feed on and Iris are well known food for aphids. I use good old dawn dish soap in water the dump on the iris to get rid of them in my garden every spring when they show up.