CLOSED: Ants on flowering vine, a mutual/reciprocal relationship?

I've read somewhere that some type of plant/ants mutual/reciprocal relationship. I can't now find that topic, anyone familiar with this one to help out? I've these beautiful vines that flourish in our climate. For the growing season, I couldn't find any damages on the vines, or flowers. But the ants constantly pratrol the flowers, especially the emerging flower buds.
Recently, however the ants invade our living quarter. While treat the house foundation and surrounding areas. My question is, should I try to control these ants (on the vines - this is situated far away from the house), or look for a way to deter them from coming back into the garden? Help is needed.
Here is the flower, you can see couple of the Argentina ants there.

Ants do feed from aphid dew, I had them on a dahlia with black aphids which I left and used as a nature observation and photography opportunites! Aphids tend to be inside tender emerging foliage/buds or on the tops of flowering stems.

I had all manner of natures insects laying eggs to eat the aphids, then predators to eat whatever turned up, it was an amazing natural cycle under my nose.

wallaby1,
I knew of the ants/aphids relationship, they've that relationship going. But, not this particular vines. There is no aphids on this vine, no other bugs for that matter. Just ants! No sooty molds, no sticky dews noticed on the vines or leaves, flowers. ect.....

The other thing ants like are scales or scale insect which stick themselves to leaves or stems, if there was only a few the stickiness may not be noticed. I don't know if scales would live on your plant, I had some on a citrus tree in a pot and I found the scales by looking for the ants, they were very protective of them!

Could they be eating the nectar?

That makes sense fly_girl! It seems they do.

http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/aol/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.webhome&query=%27ants+flower+nectar%27&cr=&lr=

The plant(s) is flawless from any type of damage from disease, insects ect.....just ants, ants, and more ants. Nectar! So it's a one way thing! I can control the ants and not be concern about the plant's well being? I'm just currious.

LL, I don't think the ants will hurt the vine.

Reading up on those guys looks like they are generalist eaters and eat about any and everything...even baby mice....ewwwww.

Thank you, I'm doing alot reading here too, about those ants. And learning ways to control them. Many thanks to all that responded.
Kim

Lily Love.... Those ants will be what makes your seed. They crawl in and out and around. There bodies are tiny enough that their crawling in and out and about fertilizes the blooms otherwise it very hard to darn near impossible to have seed made.

Woooohoooo, there is my Ella! Thank you, I thought the ants is there for a purpose! At last, I've got the answer. Ella, will the seepod swell? I've alot of those sheath-like calyx, but the inner pods don't appear very big?

The only reason I know is cuz years agao I was tryign to get rid of the ants. I had a huge plant that had gone up one side of a tent and aroudn the edge of it and the ants would be marching two by two and double timing it up and down the plant. No bugs , no nothing and somebody helped me out with the explanation and since then I got seeds. Not many but a few.

Nope not much at all Kim. Ya will hardly notice the difference. When the sheath falls off, that little dot at the bottom will turn a brown black if ya got a seed and ya plant the whole thing. Usually by the time I notice that one turning and get back to the plant, it has done falled off and gone to that mysterious place that seeds do when ya realy want to save them.

Check where the ants are disappearign back to. They storign food for the winter. Find their home and cover it with grits. Give them a few hours to eat it and then water the heck out of the nest. Great way to get rid of the ants without killing your beneficials.

Fly-girl.. Ants eatign baby mice. ewwwwwwwww is right. That a new one on me and so is yours Wallaby about the scale. I knew about the aphids but will be checkign for scale too if I see the ants and not aphids.

Aphids, and scales do love this vine, which I sacraficed it roughly a week ago, upon taken it down. They were loaded with scales all along the vines. Thank you, Ella. I'll see about looking for some seeds, and take some cuttings.

Lily, that white flowering vine is gorgeous! What is the blue vine?

Fly_girl,
The blue vine is Thunbergia Grandiflora, also known as Blue Sky Vine. The white flowers are Sweet Autumn Clematis. Bees love these vines, I've more bees this year than many garden combined for the attraction of the S.A.C. the perfume aroma is wonderful too, only it grew so vigorous it over took my other planting. A perfect vine though, for someone with big acrages, and chain link fence for better management.

Thanks Lily, the Blue Sky vine is very pretty!

I had a Sweet Clematis once and it outgrew the are it was in, that was about 3 years ago and I'm still pulling up seedlings. I just don't the space for that beautiful monster.

I got some seedlings of Clematis this year and with the heta and drought they struggled so bad. I thought I ha dlost them, but with the cooler temps they coming back up. They in one and two gallon pots and I wondering if they wil be ok outisde over the winter if groupe d together with the other pots or if i need to put them in the gh with no heat.

Ella, for some reason, SAC's seedling hasn't been a problem, either way for me. Last winter I had a seedling that felt into a basket that I've a broken branch of buddelia stuck in there. Both took off together while left outside without protection. By Sept. both the vine's seedling and the broken branch butterflie bush flowered! So, bringing them indoor seem not neccessary.

Thanks Kim. I'll leave them out then. gives more room for other things I need to bring in.

You're most welcome, I can relate, my makeshift GH is loaded, and I still have many chores that require more space. :-)