[yummy]

Went to sow my parsnips this weekend and found a big mound of massive red ants in the corner of the raised bed. Dug it and thousands came running out. Can I just ignore them and sow my parsnips in there? Or do they need dealing with? If so how?

Thanks

[peapod]

Not sure about red ants but I got rid of my ants nest by digging it up! They hate disturbance and I never saw them again.
Itll be OK to plant next to them from what I can remember, they dont harm veg seedlings

[iwantanallotment]

Agreed with peapod - my patch is riddled with them all over, but they never harmed any veg.
I just ignore them - but am careful where I kneel 

[sunshineband]

Just don't let the ants run up your legs 

[yummy]

I'm amazed none of them ran up my wellies actually 

Thanks will plant my parsnips then..

[Runnerbean]

Parsnips might be ok, i had a nest in my plot last year and they munched through all of my carrots.  I was pulling carrots out of the ground with red ants on an inside them.  I have tried ant bait stations this year as i don't want that to happen again.
Oh and if you ever get one inside your glove, be prepared for a lot of painfull swearing!!!

[Stripey_cat]

We had real problems in our previous house with them - they killed plants by root disturbance and eating bits.  There were far too many to poison (there were 60-odd nests in your typical ex-council sized garden the first year), so I used to dig them up and pour boiling water onto the larvae then replace the turf after a couple of days - the second year there were only 20 nests, and the summer we moved I only saw three.

[sunshineband]

Although ants can be a nuisance as they disturb the ground they really don't eat carrots, don't worry  ]
If you had holes and tunnels in the roots  these were probably made by carrot fly grubs and you might need to cover your carrots to avoid the flies laying eggs at the crown of the plants to get a better crop.