Why do ants crawl over peony buds all the time? They don't eat them or otherwise hurt them.?

Ants for some reason LOVE Peony Plants! Perhaps Peony plants have sugar or something they like!








They are hungry!





The ants visit your peonies because the flower buds secrete a sweet substance that the ants like to eat. The good news is that the ants are not harmful to your peonies! The ants don't eat the actual plant and contrary to popular belief, the ants are not required to open the buds.





A small trick if you want to cut some of your peony flowers but don't want to bring the ants into the house… Try cutting the flowers before they open and the ants get inside. Cut the flowers when the colour is showing and the bud feels like a marshmallow. At this stage it is easy to remove the ants and the buds will open nicely for you inside within a couple of days

Why do ants crawl over peony buds all the time? They don't eat them or otherwise hurt them.?
Well I've seen ants on my Gardenias I don't think that they'd hurt your Peony. I think they'll also keep the pests away from your Peony:)
Reply:the big black ants are beneficial for peonies..pollination...my mom does not deadhead her peonies any more which has resulted in her having many come up from seed and i benefit from that..lol...i now have about 20 peonies and and getting up to 10 more this fall...she have 40+ growing and is giving them to anyone who wants some..lol...saves me alot of money except for the colors she doesnt have then i have to go buy them myself
Reply:ants are only ones whom can carry peony pollen! with out them no flowers!