Ants eating my corn leaves

[robbintreen]

Ive read allot about ants farming the aphids, but these are eating the leaves, should I be concerned? We don't want to use any pesticides.

[rainbowgardener]

I think you need to figure out what the real problem is. Regular ants do not generally eat living plant tissue.

They could be farming aphids somewhere not visible such as inside the husks or even on the roots of the plants.

Or something else could be damaging the plants and then the ants come to clean up the damage.

Carpenter and fire ants will chew up living plants and need to be dealt with if that is what you have.

[sheeshshe]

I also have some eating the 'bark' off the bottom of the pepper plants. this has happened a few years ago, but I haven't seen it since. they just strip off the outer layer until there is nothing much left to support it. I never see anything other than the ants.?