Many of us in warmer climates deal with ant species that may have troubling behaviors. I've never associated fire ants, for example, with aphids, though I know that they will protect them and other honeydew producing insects. I tried to collect some nice magnolia scale for a class I was teaching, and suffered plenty of ant stings in the process. I know that fire ants will show up in gardens, newly installed landscapes, tree plantings, fields and pastures. They will undermine the root systems of plants, damage seedlings, and eat fruits and vegetables. They will attack and kill baby birds in nests, dogs in their kennels, and any other animal that is caught unaware or that cannot get away. They can short out electrical and irrigation boxes. They have a dastardly habit of waiting until a large number of ants have climbed onto their victim before they start stinging. Ask me how I know that. Their stings aren't quite as painful as a bee sting, but the burning sensation afterwards is reeeeaaaalllly uncomfortable. Most people end up with a large pustule that itches intensely for several days. We keep our yard fire ant free, but there are still plenty of other species running around all over the place. Karen, I haven't found it impossible or even difficult to get rid of fire ants. Email me! As far as (hallowed???) Praying Mantids go.....I cannot get them to cooperate in my yard, lol. At ALL! I guess I don't have enough pests for them to munch on, because all I ever catch them eating is butterflies, bees of various kinds, assassin bugs, and other beneficials. I've even plucked one from my echinacea and re-homed him on my tomatoes where the caterpillars live. I SAW it fly back to the echinacea. Hilarious. They are truly beautiful creatures, though. I just wish that I would stop finding piles of butterfly wings on ground under my perennials.

trianglejohn is right. The ants only get on the buds if the buds are developing properly and are producing nectar. So there is an underlying issue that is preventing the buds from developing properly, and it most likely is the depth of planting. If you planted them at the same depth they were planted in MO, it is most likely too deep to get enough chilling hours for the plant to develop the flower buds properly. Since NC is a much warmer zone, the peonies will need to be planted much closer to the surface. If the buds have already stopped developing, you will not get any flowers this year. So you might as well wait until the fall after the leaves have died back (usually October or November here) to dig them up and bring the closer to the top of the soil. I usually plant mine with the buds peeking out of the soil and am able to grow most any variety this way. Hope this helps!

Have you tried adding used coffee grounds to the soil around the peonies? Any non-flavored will do, I know Starbucks here will give used grounds away and the ants don't like it at all. And the ants really don't help the peonies open, they'll be fine with or without them! You should be able to just sprinkle the dry grounds in your peony beds on top of mulch (it'll wash down with the sprinklers or rain) or scratch it in to compost or soil, use it like any other amendment.

Easy answer - it's what I do EVERY year. I have a small bucket of water. I dip the peony blooms, stalk and all in the bucket and secure them with a small weight to keep them submerged in the water for about 10-15 minutes, and the ants float to the top. I either scoop out the ants or add water to rid them via the overflow, and then gently shake the peonies before bringing them inside. I've done this for years. Never had a problem. Even if a stray ant does get inside, it's not like it's going to form a colony.