What is the problem?

What is it that you think the ants are doing to the plants directly?

Dan

Well, besides crawling all over them and making it decidedly *yucky* for me to get in to harvest beans, they seem to be eating holes in the leaves.

Donna

Ants don't make holes in leaves.

So how many holes? And how large are the holes?

When ants are in plants they're usually taking care of insects which produce sticky, sweet honeydew, among them aphids.

Repeated hosings will keep aphids to a minimum.

Can you post a picture?

Aha! Aphids make more sense; I hadn't thought that ants usually made holes, but I am always ready for an exception to the rule. Aphids are a lot more logical, and, though not generally visible when I looks at the beans, I have noticed one or 2 on me from time to time after visiting the bean row. I guess I couldn't see the aphids for the ants! (Trees and forests will forgive me for that, I hope.)
Will post pic as soon as I charge up camera & take some. Should have thought of that 1st.

Aphids don't make holes either.

Yes. The ants are not the problem. Nor are the aphids. There is something else. There is no reason to kill something not harming anyone.

Dan

The ants, in reality, are helping you control what is making the holes in your bean leaves, they are not the problem. Aphids, in large enough numbers could be a problem but they are easily controlled with a sharp spray of water. If you are not seeing anything making the holes in the leaves look for evidence of slugs.

Ants will protect aphids and even transport them under the ground or to another young leaf of another plant/tree.

I sprinkled some diamateous earth (DE) on and around my beans when I saw the ants running around and up and down my plants. I also deducted that the corn meal I had placed around the plants added to the ants being attracted to my garden.

If it is a slug that is bothering your beans, the DE is the best remedy.

chebella: leave them alone, they are waiting for aphids (who will provide them with honeydew), which realy will harm your beans -- unlike ants, which don't have the necessary mouth-parts for chewing plants. Regards.

Main is the same i am sorry

I know I'm chiming in years after the original post but I just wanted to add my experience for anyone still dealing with this issue. I had ants all over my bean plants and I couldn't figure out what was attracting them. I was looking for aphids but saw nothing. I got frustrated and really started digging through the vines and finally saw what I believe is the culprit. Buffalo treehopper nymphs. First I saw one, then another, and another, and another. I was completely blind to them because I wasn't looking for them and they blend in really well on the vines.

From some quick research, apparently they have a similar relationship to ants as aphids in that the ants take care of them in order to feed off their honeydew.

Most of the nymphs congregated in the bigger nooks/joints of the vines, especially where the vines wrapped around the intersections of the trellis. The little things don't jump like they do when they reach adulthood so I was able to pluck a lot of them off with my bare hands but tweezers would have helped. They like to rotate around the vine to hide but I just used a finger to poke and prod them around then snatched them up and toss into some soapy water.

I hope this helps anyone out there dealing with mystery ants on their plants.