How & Why

Ants as plant protectors

Here you can learn more about how ants can be beneficial in orchards and how they protect trees from pests and plant diseases.

This knowledge has been generated through over 20 years of research and forms the foundation of AgroAnt.

Great appetite

Wood ants are not picky eaters, and they consume a wide range of insects, including winter moth larvae and bark beetles, which can be pests in, for example, apple and Christmas tree plantations.

In fact, ants are so effective that they have been used to protect forests from harmful insects for many decades.

Here you can read more about the ants' great appetite and how they can be used as beneficial insects:

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Wandering chemical factories

Ants are similar to humans in many ways. They live in close-knit communities, and only a few seconds pass between one ant meeting another.

The dense community ensures that the ants can help each other quickly and effectively, but it also makes them more vulnerable to diseases.

A problem that the ants have solved by producing an arsenal of chemical substances and by collaborating with antibiotic-producing microorganisms.

These antibiotic substances not only protect the ant itself, but in many cases can also protect the plants the ants walk on.

Read more about the effect of ants on plant diseases and how they can be used as biological control here:

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Ants in agriculture

Ants in agriculture are nothing new. In 304 AD, Chinese fruit growers could buy weaver ants at local markets. They released the ants into their orchards, as it was common knowledge that without the ants, the fruit would be damaged.

Wood ants have not previously been used in agriculture, but they have been used in forests to protect trees from pests.

If you want to know more about the use of ants in agriculture, read more here:

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