Help! Red Ants in the Bed

Today is the first day it felt like summer. Will it continue - or will the recent pattern prevail ? Picked my first zucchinis today and found thousands of red ants in one raised bed eating bush beans. Another new phenomenon... I didn't think ants liked beans! I picked all the beans and will pull out the plants tomorrow. Put covered ant traps in that bed and hope the ants will feed on them. Also in the same bed are melons, zucchini and the last of the leeks. We have been grilling the leeks and they are so sweet...just cut in half, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill over high heat , cut side down, with lid closed , seven or eight minutes. Brush with balsamic vinegar, put halves together and wrap in foil. put back on grill and move away from direct heat for ten or twelve minutes. ( recipe from Foodnetwork.com recipe cards ) The recipe suggests using bacon drippings in place of oil. I'll bet that tastes good, too! I left about two inches of green leaves on the leeks. Note: Cleaning leeks is more difficult than you might think...I have no idea how the sand and dirt works its way between the leaves...I found pulling leaves apart under running water is the easiest way to remove the grit. When cooked, the leeks have caramelized and are delicious!

If the heat continues, I intend to harvest the last of the tomatoes and bring them inside to ripen. Green tomatoes ripen nicely in just a few days. The birds have gone wild this year and have been pecking a single hole in every red tomato they see, so I have been picking them before they ripen. The crop has been adequate but I feel I should have removed the plants after the freeze. ( Remember, I just pruned off damaged stems? ) The plants have struggled because of the damage and are not as happy as they were last year. The red onions have been harvested, chopped and frozen in 1 cup and 2 cup amounts.( I figure one cup equals a medium sized onion.) The onions absolutley kept gophers away from the lower raised bed, this year. After the tomatoes are pulled, nothing will be left in that bed. It will be watered, covered with plastic and given a much needed summer vacation!

As always, in a garden, the plants are the teachers, the gardener, the student! (JGP)