What do ants on succulents mean

If you’ve been growing succulents for a while you may have noticed ants in and around your plants. Many types of ants can start congregating around succulents, though most of the time, it’s the smaller species and they have a good reason to be there and it’s not good news for you or your succulents.

99% of the time ants on succulents mean there’s also 4 of the most annoying succulent pests. Mealybugs, both root and foliar- feeding, aphids and scale.

While ants themselves usually don’t feed on or damage succulents these pests do. And they are particularly successful when ants are around.

Ant-pest relationship

Ants are clever and hard-working little things. They are an important part of the ecosystem. But they can also be a huge pain in the backside for gardeners and plant-growers.

If you grow your succulents outdoors it is likely you’ve probably come across ants crawling all over your plants. They are most active during the warmer months and start coming out as soon as the weather is favorable. And it usually coincides with succulents flowering.

Ants are particularly active during the flowering season because of aphids. Aphids come in many colours and are a small, soft bodied, sucking insect. They make tiny punctures in succulents to feed on their sap. 

They then secrete what’s called honeydew and this is where the ants come in. Honeydew is highly rich in sugar and irresistible to ants. They feed on it as well as bring it back to the nest.

But ants don’t just collect the honeydew, they systematically ‘farm’ aphids.

In return for the highly desirable food, ants will farm aphids. They will protect them from predators such as lacewings, ladybugs and their larvae etc., keep the aphid colony clean and even move them to new plants.

Ants have figured out which plants are aphids’ favourites and will climb over other potential food sources to get to the most valued succulents.

From a scientific point of view, this mutually beneficial relationship is fascinating and has been widely studied. And it sounds pretty familiar, right?

Aphids are a formidable enemy of many gardeners and horticulturalists as they spread fast. They are masters of reproduction and can colonize a space in no time. It never ceases to amaze me just how fast aphids can take over.

One interesting thing the studies into the aphid and ant relationship found is that aphids would not be anywhere near as successful if it wasn’t for ants.

There’s so many predators out there that can decimate aphids fast but thanks to the ingenious ants, aphid colonies under their protection are mostly safe.

But it’s not just aphids ants farm in this way. Mealybugs and armored scale insects are also ant’s farm animals. Unfortunately for us, these insects also love succulents.

And so, if there is a large ant colony near your succulents they will almost definitely take advantage and set up their little farms on your plants.

Some will go as far as moving directly into suitable pots so they are even closer to the farm. And they, almost always, have a few root mealybugs present in the pot too for quick access to food.

If you see a few ants running around a specific pot, check the roots. A tell-tale sign is a mound of potting mix the ants will have to get rid of in order to dig their tiny tunnels. You will also see them coming in and out of the pot.

How to prevent ants

This is where it gets tricky. Although, ants are the enemy and kind of a pest for plant growers and gardeners, they are also detrimental to the ecosystem as a whole.

They turn and aerate the soil which helps water to get to plants roots. They also feed on dead animals, recycling their corpses and perhaps, ironically, keep some pest populations in check. Here in Australia, for instance, ants will prey and feed on termites.

Looking at the bigger picture, ants are considered a beneficial insect and it’s really unfortunate they harbor and protect some of the worst succulent pests.

I guess, the question is, how do we manage the situation.

My personal opinion is that we should try and find ways to make it difficult for ants to access plants rather than kill them off. There’s so many different species of ants in and around my nursery that I would pretty much have to use very harsh chemicals and ‘nuke’ the whole place. And, honestly, I’d rather sacrifice a few plants than do that.

We have a lovely little ecosystem thanks to the lack of chemicals and, as well as ants, I have ant predators everywhere.

I can’t tell anyone what to do around their own property though and, if you feel you’d rather eradicate, that is your choice. There’s plenty of pesticides available that will control ants.

For those of you that prefer to discourage ants from setting up their own personal farms on you succulents, there are a few natural ways that will, to a degree, annoy ants but not harm them.

Ants tend not to like the smell of citrus. I get a citrus oil that I mix with water to make a potent spray and apply on legs of tables that have the most desirable succulents.

As with any natura remedy, this is not always 100% effective and determined enough ants will crawl through, but I did find to have less of them around.

The solution will also need to be reapplied often and won’t stop ants that have set up in pots.

Another smelly option is 50:50 vinegar-water solution. This can both kill and discourage ants. I sometimes spray it around if there’s a lot of ant activity. It certainly does it’s thing, but needs to be reapplied often. I’ve tried tying cloths soaked in vinegar around table legs which worked well and keeps the smell around for longer but this method is labour intensive.

Vinegar can be sprayed around garden borders, table legs or base of pots. Do not get any of this solution on the plants leaves as vinegar can burn them.

I’ve heard of diatomaceous earth powder being used as a deterrent but have seen ants crawl right over when I tried.

Spicy solutions such as chilli or cayenne pepper are also said to be effective.

If you have a method that worked for you, be sure to let us know in the comments.