The interrelationship between 4 species of ants and the sugarcane borer, Diatrea saccharalis F., was studied over a 6-month period in Florida. Ants were collected monthly from May to October, and numbers were compared with those of sugarcane borers collected bi-weekly during the same period. The data showed a slight increase in sugarcane borer damage in the fields treated with mirex (dodecaclorooctahydro-1,3,4-metheno-1H-cyclobuta[cd]pentalene) to reduce populations of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Pearson's correlation cofficients were positive between the sugarcane borer and the red imported fire ant but negative between the sugarcane borer and Pheidole dentata Mayr and P. floridana Emery. These data suggest that the reduction of all ant species with mirex bait resulted in increased damage from the sugarcane borer and that a multiple predator ant complex is more effective than one dominated by S. invicta.