Are ants in the garden bad? The good and bad news about ants and plants. Just as a weed is a plant growing in the wrong place, insects in the wrong place are pests. Ants play a very important role in the ecology of your garden for good and for not so good. ... Ants are predator and prey since they eat the eggs of many insects and serve as food for birds, lizards, and other beneficials. Their tunnels aerate the soil and allow water and nutrients to flow directly to the plant roots. They also distribute seeds by storing them in their tunnels. The caterpillars of some butter­fly groups - read more on Blog page