Bently Durant wrote:
 
> Are there any ways that ants help out more then
> they hurt?
 
Ants are in the same class with yellowjackets in that they are EXTREMELY
beneficial but don't have enough sense to keep from being branded as
pests.
The world would be a much messier place without ants cleaning up all the
time.  They quitely go about their business of cleaning up the messes of
the world around them and go unnoticed until they get in our way.
 
On the similar topic of wasps, one time in mid-summer I heard the
characteristic hum of bees in a major nectar flow in my pussywillow
tree.  I did a doubletake, since pussywillow doesn't bloom in the middle
of summer!  Sure enough, the hum was not from bees but from yelowjackets
feeding on a massive infestation of aphids in the tree.  I had noticed
the sticky honedew from the aphids on the sidewalk for several days
before the yellojackets arrived and was considering how best to treat
it.  Within a week they had pretty much eliminated the aphid problem
from the tree.
 
Now if they would just stay away from the picnics and the beehives ...
 
Michael Reddell
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http://www.hotcity.com/~mwr