Getting rid of ants around your plants is a good idea for other reasons, too. They will farm aphids, mealybugs and scales on your plants, moving them around and helping them multiply deliberately so the ants can get the sweet sticky exudate from the pests. A minor pest infestation can turn into a major problem with the ants doing this. I'm battling scales now because the ants are tending them and even moving scale babies from plant to plant to start new "farms".
