04/17/2024
The ants are NOT eating the peonies. When a scout ant finds the nectar on the peony, she emits a pheromone or odor trail on the way back to her nest. At the nest, the scout alerts other ants of the food source. The recruited ants then follow the odor trail back to nectar on the peony flowers.
In turn, the ants actually provide the plant with some protection! While the ants are feeding on the nectar, they protect their food source by attacking other bud-eating pests by stinging, biting, or spraying them with acid and tossing them off the plant.
Also, the ants are temporary. Once the peony blossoms, the ants will leave the peony flower and move on to seek other food sources.
