Broad beans and ants

[Twynyrodyn]

Today when I went to check on my (beautiful) broadbean youngsters in the greenhouse they were crawling with black ants! I rushed back to the house to google advice and have now sprayed them with a weak solution of washing up liquid. I did not have oil of clove, but I raided the kitchen cupboard and found some ground cloves, so sprinkled that on the soil in the pots. The ants vanished.... for now, but does anyone have any other ideas? Would it be better to move the seedlings outside? They are about 5/6 inches high but the ground seems too soggy (still) to plant them in the ground.

[Mr Bones]

Ground cinnamon works against ants too. If your plants are 5-6 inches tall they're probably big enough to harden off and plant out, just depends on how soggy is soggy, beans are pretty hardy.

[Jungle Jane]

I wonder if the ants are attracted to the plant because of aphids? Have you noticed any tiny green aphids under the leaves & in the new growth? If there are it's nothing to worry about,squirt them off etc

[fishpond]

I wonder if the ants are attracted to the plant because of aphids? Have you noticed any tiny green aphids under the leaves & in the new growth? If there are it's nothing to worry about,squirt them off etc

Or even Black ones.

Soon as they are hardened off move them.
Find out where the ants are living and get rid of them else Summer will be a mare.

[Twynyrodyn]

Only a couple of ants today, but I sprinkled some semolina in a little pile just in case. No sign of aphids on the broad beans, but I left them outside for a sunbathe today. Maybe I will be brave and plant them in the plot this weekend!