Ok I see ants swarming in my Okra beds for ever. I don't see any particular damage to the plants.

Web search shows me the following as pretty much the universal explanation: Aphids produce secretions/honeydew which ants love. My objection to that theory: There are very few aphids on the Okra, hardly to talk about. However, all my cucurbits are loaded with millions aphids of all ages. Yet, I don't see any ants going to the cucurbits.

The other explanation I have seen is: they suck the juice at the base of the blooms. But I don't really see many ants on the blooms although I see a few aphids on the blooms.

Any other explanation?

How to get rid of them? Spraying them kills only the ants that are physically present there and get direct contact. For every ant killed this way, there are thousands more. Tracking the ant trails I don't see any accesible ant mounds. So, how do i get rid of them for good? Thanks.