We have a severe infestation of ants and aphids on our corn. I noticed the ants way earlier, but thinking they are not too much of a problem, I didn't do anything about them until about two weeks ago, when I realized that they are all over the corn. I sprayed the corn with diluted vinegar because that supposedly chases the ants away. Going out to check on the corn a few days ago, I realized that the corns are turning black with aphids. It turns out that - after some basic research on the internet - ants "farm" the aphids. The ants keep aphids the same way humans keep cows. The aphids are terribly proficient at sucking sweetness out of saps, and the ants milk the sap out of the aphids.
I thought I would resolve the problem by introducing more ladybugs to the area. Every ladybug can eat hundreds of aphids a day. It is not clear to me if this will work at all now. I noticed, after dumping a box of ladybugs onto the corn, that the ants were actively attacking and chasing away the ladybugs. The ladybugs are much bigger than the ants and yet they seem easily deterred by the ants.
In short, I think I will probably have to resort to a different method: more neem oil and soap.
We probably won't be eating home grown corn this season.
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