Peonies - do they attract ants??

[emoflamingo]

Okay that's kind of a misleading subject. I know they do. But do they make ants in a house worse? We have about 10 peony bushes around our house (the previous owner was an avid gardener, which is nice but also sad because everything is full of weeds and I'm going to have to start fresh when we redo the grade in the front) and while the area most of the bushes are in may not be touched, I may opt to remove them if they make an ant problem worse.

I have a black thumb too, so I'm awful at plants and keeping things alive. Even outside!

[simpsongal]

Haven't noticed any issues with our peony near the door. You could try sprinkling diatomaceous earth around the house and door to keep insects away.

[NitaX]

This is good to know. I was considering planting a peony near my back door, but opted against it because I didn't want ants getting in the house.

[emoflamingo]

NitaX, my grandma had them and would wrap them in a wet paper towel and then a plastic bag and make us shake them out before we could take them inside. LOTS of ants.

simpsongal, the ants are in the front, but the peonies are in the back, so I'm on the offensive to get rid of them already. Our last house had a BAD ant problem and we have it sprayed every year so we'll be calling the guy to have him come to both houses soon I'm sure.

[dirtyred]

The peonies secrete a fluid that is attractive to ants. They do this because the ants will also eat the pests that eat the peony buds--so those ants keep your peonies looking good.