Question QUESTION: I have a lot of those small black ants(might be "sugar"
ants or little black ants or crazy ants) climbing
on my milkweed plants down south here in Louisiana. Could they possible be eating my Monarch eggs and/or the baby caterpillars bc im not getting many caterpillars this year? But I do see tiny holes in the leaves where some caterpillars feeding has started.
ANSWER: Little black "ants" may be the tiny newborn Monarch caterpillars. They look like little black ants. Get a magnifying glass and look at them carefully. Do they look like ants or tiny caterpillars?
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Come on they ain't no caterpillars. Moving too fast for caterpillars. Its the same ants that are in our house feasting on the sweet stuff....
Answer Some ants indeed will eat certain caterpillars. Very few insects will eat Monarch caterpillars because they taste bad, due to the toxins in milkweed. Check with a local agricultural agent, university biology department, or licensed pest control operator. I'm familiar with quite a few types of ants, but none that will do what you describe. There are zillions of species of ants, and I'm not an expert on Louisiana ants.
You can put out borax or borax-based ant baits which will kill the ants without bothering the caterpillars.
