I use the word 'earthworms' because they seem so vulnerable against ant bites, but take the word 'earthworms' as a label for everything living in the soil. Ants are often considered harmless for your garden, but like anything else, too many of them can't be good either.

How many ants are too many for YOU? At what point do YOU take precautionary measures?

Since the answers can be subjective, let me share a little story. My backyard is in large part naturalized. An anthill appeared, then a second. When the first anthill grew to over 1 foot tall, I dug it out and poured borax over the second one. That's my precautionary measure over concerns that the ants could invade the house.

How about you and your ants?