ants in the plot-friend or foe

[mrs baggins]

do ants do damage to seedlings?? have noticed that where I planted my corn baby plants a lot of them have just keeled over and died and there are loads of ants here but dont know if they are friend or foe but thought they were friends

[Paulottie]

Ants are a pain but mainly because they 'farm' aphids....protect them to get their sweet excretions.

Sweetcorn can often topple in the wind and it is particularly common for pot grown seedlings as they develop their lateral stability roots after their longer ta[ roots. Possibly the ants have caused looseness in soil in that area but maybe not wholly to blame. Try earthing up your plants a little and maybe adding a cane.

[Two_Sheds]

Yes, ants do damage roots.
I have created special "ant areas" on my plot to divert them to where I can control them and they won't chew my plants... I have paving slabs down on the ground, which the ants build nests under. Now this is the cruel bit ~ I turn over the slabs and scatter the ant eggs for the birds to eat (goldfish like them too).

[GeorgieP]

I've heard that ants make the soil less solid - this is good for some plants as they aerate the soil - but not so good for others. When digging up areas where there are ants, I've found the soil to be less compact - a good thing in some cases I guess.
Is there anything else that could have killed your sweetcorn plants? Ours didnt do very well - not enough sun and I'm not sure we got the watering right.