Are ants harmful?

[Kazemi]

So I just finished my cabin and started planting wheat and pumpkins when --LO-- a swarm of ants spawns in next to my cabin! I haven't put points into offensive things, so I'd rather just leave them be. If I do so, will the bugs damage my crops or house?

[sabinati]

nope

[Cookie]

Ants are extremely harmful if you click on the ants' nest and when the option "Raid" comes up, you click to see what happens. What happens is all three ant swarms try their level best to sting you to death... and believe it or not they can do more harm than a bear. Should you happen to kill one swarm another one will come out of the nest in a few moments to replace the first swarm. Try shallow water, as deep as you can get into it without swimming.

[sabinati]

protip: wear some armor, even q10 leather armor and leather boots or pants will work, and get 5 or so unarmed or melee and you can kill ants for LP. attack them one at a time and they're not too bad. 10 unarmed or melee makes them even easier. if you kill all 3 you can raid the nest without fear of attack.

[Kazemi]

protip: wear some armor, even q10 leather armor and leather boots or pants will work, and get 5 or so unarmed or melee and you can kill ants for LP. attack them one at a time and they're not too bad. 10 unarmed or melee makes them even easier. if you kill all 3 you can raid the nest without fear of attack.

Yeah, I read elsewhere that you can attack the ants separately but I couldn't figure out how (right clicking on the little swarms didn't do anything). I did originally try to raid the nest, but I was taking damage and it didn't seem as if I was winning.

I wish I could just build an Archimedean Screw and pump their nest full of water...

EDIT: Oh, nevermind about that. It appears they have moved on to a better place.