Episode 22- Weeds, Armyworms, and Cutter Ants: Are They Really the Problem?

Are weeds, armyworms, and leafcutter ants really the problem on your land—or are they trying to tell you something deeper?

In this episode, Christine shares a personal story from a recent class where the proposed solution to pests was spraying chemicals. She challenges that mindset and invites you to look at weeds, worms, and ants not as enemies, but as messengers of land health and ecosystem function.

You’ll learn why these “problems” keep coming back, how they point to root causes like mineral imbalances, plant stress, and simplified ecosystems, and what it means to manage the whole system instead of just chasing symptoms.

Tune in to discover how listening to what nature is showing you can reduce frustration, restore balance, and give you more confidence in your stewardship.

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Transcript

Christine Martin: 0:19

I was at a class recently where the topic of army worms and leaf cutter ants came up. The proposed solution? Was spraying chemicals. Now that's typically the answer we hear, and it seems logical at the moment. But here's the question I wanna ask. What if weeds, army worms, and cutter ants aren't actually the problem? What if they're just signaling something deeper going on in the land? Most land stewards I meet are spending time, money, and energy fighting these problems, but they keep coming back. Today we're gonna talk about why that happens and how to shift from chasing symptoms to managing root causes. Here's the common mindset. If I spray weeds, kill the army worms, or treat the cutter ants, the problem will be gone. Does this sound familiar? I used to think the same thing, and it makes sense when something's in front of us causing damage. We wanna fix it fast. But the hard truth is these weeds, these army worms, these ants aren't the real problem. They're actually the messengers. And maybe you've tried spraying weeds year after year after year, or you're pouring money into these treatments for the armyworms, or you're mixing up all sorts of chemical sprays to address the cutter ants. Or maybe you're like me. When I first started, I spent years pulling weeds by hand because I didn't wanna use chemicals. And guess what? Those weeds kept coming back year after year. So it's a bit like putting buckets under a leaky roof. You feel like you're doing something, but unless you climb up and patch that hole, the problem never really goes away. What do we really want? Typically it's healthy, productive land, fewer headaches and lower costs. But instead, here's what usually happens. The weeds are back season after season. Those army worms flare up after the next rain, and those cutter ants just keep multiplying when they show up. The land still feels like it's fighting you, and ultimately the frustration grows. Here's why. Those army worms, those weeds, those leaf cutter ants, they're not the problem. They're actually the symptom. Weeds often signal mineral imbalances and typically grow, where there's bare soil and it's been disturbed. Those army worms sweep across like wildfire when ecosystems are simplified, monoculture pastures give them a nonstop buffet. Those stressed out plants due to overgrazing lack natural defenses and natural predators are scarce due to chemical use. Those leaf cutter ants thrive as ecosystem super farmers when diversity and natural checks are missing that monoculture pasture and the fresh regrowth give them endless amount of forage while low predator pressure and sandy soils let cutter ants colonies expand. Spray or treating them doesn't shift the system. It's like putting tape over your trucks check engine light so that you don't see the warning anymore, but the engine is still breaking down underneath. So what if instead of fighting them, you asked, what are they telling me about my land's health? These problems aren't random. They're indicators of land health and ineffective ecosystem function. If we take the time to observe and listen, we can identify that root cause behind what's showing up on the surface. And once we know that root cause, we can change our management in a way that addresses it directly. For me, once I stopped pulling those weeds and adjusted my grazing management, the weed problem diminished greatly. The land balanced itself when I gave it the right conditions. It's like a sagging corner post in your fence. You can keep stretching the wire and patching the spots, but until you reset that corner post, the whole fence will keep giving away. Nature is always communicating. Our job is to listen and not silence the messenger. Here's my question for you. What's one action you've been taking on your land that might actually be chasing a symptom instead of solving for the root cause? I love to hear it. Send me a DM on Instagram at Thriving Land Steward or tag me on social media. Every challenge you see on your land is simply an invitation to understand it more deeply. Those weeds, the armyworms, the ants, they're all part of nature's way of showing you where the system needs some more support. When you listen and respond, you open the door to healthier land, more money in your bank, and more confidence in your stewardship. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or family member. Subscribe to this podcast and leave a review. This helps make the podcast more visible to other land stewards who also want to thrive. Thanks for joining me today. Until next time, keep thriving as a modern rancher.