You'll need to give us some pictures, if that's the only description we get! Pictures of the 'other things'.

You need to find out why the ants are there. They are a symptom of a problem and not the problem.

Ants often found where there are aphids, as they like to harvest the honeydew that the aphids produce. Look esp around the newest growth. Aphids come in several colors, black, brow, green, red, pink, and yellow.

Sue

Ants are doubly damaging where aphids are concerned. Ant farmers not only cary aphids and put them on plants, they also drive away the predators to protect them. Usually the ants are coming from a nest that is not right under the plant. I've found that spraying just around the base of the plant with Neem oil interrupts their trails. They don't seem to like to cross Neem although it doesn't kill them.