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On May 14, 2005, at 8:41 PM, Rodney Eveland wrote:

> While searching on bugs I came across articles that stated ants have
> been and are today being used as biological controls of other insects.
> Most of the articles mentioned their use in Citrus, Sweet Potato,
> coconut and one other plant which I can't remember. One of my
> relatives told me he know longer destroys red ant hills as they are
> quite predatory - catching and eating mosquitoes that are hiding on
> the bottom side of leaves to escape the heat of the day.
>
> Anyone have any information about the "good side" of some ants? Can
> some species be moved into an area where bad ants are using aphids as
> "dairy cows"?

After initially suspecting ants were damaging my apple blossoms, I now 
think they were helping me.  I think they were in the buds because they 
were eating the winter moth larva, which did a great deal of damage.

The ants on the currants are bad, though.  They are only there to farm 
aphids.

I basically take a "live and let live" attitude, and rarely kill 
insects unless they are actively eating a plant or biting me.

Ginda