A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Ants on cherry laurel bushes

I am new to gardening and a few months ago I had a number of cherry laurel bushes planted as a hedge. After some weeks I noticed that a lot of leaves had holes in them, but I could not see any bugs on them. Now I have hundreds of ants (medium size, black) walking all over the plants and concentrating especially on new tiny leaves. I am really worried they will damage the leaves. But I cannot even be sure it is the ants that are causing the problem. My friends say they never heard of ants eating leaves. But what else can it be? I cannot see anything else on the plants! And should I be fighting the ants or leave them alone? By the way, fighting them is not easy, I tried and they come back very soon after treatment. I will appreciate any suggestions and advice. Thank you!

Watch for Aphids...they produce a sweet substance called honeydew that attracts ants.