Ants - a problem?

[cheops]

I was lightly digging around the base of one of my plum trees [really just keeping a circular area around the base of the tree loose and weedfree] when I discovered lots of ants [looks like an ants nest , where they stay together during the winter?]. Are these ants causing any problems or future problems for the plum tree? Thanks.

[piskieinboots]

They will have been attracted by the ripening fruits I guess. Ants can undermine root area in time, but I'm not sure they would cause much damage to tree roots.

However, don't fall asleep under the tree

[sarraceniac]

I think Piskie is probably right. They can be a broody nuisance if they get a taste for the sucrose in the plums so I'd get a serious ant killer next spring. I once got woodlice in my apples (very painful) and they burrowed into the fruit rendering half the crop useless but I don't think ants will be quite that bad. Unless they start on you personally.

[greasyfire]

I think they will protect your tree roots from beetles and their grub aswell as other insects but not worms though.

[starloc]

Ive never had or heard of any root problems from them, but you need to stop them climbing the tree in the summer or they make pest problems worse moving aphids around , spreading them and there sticky mess all over the tree, the sticky mess goes mouldy and looks a mess , and the aphids eat more of the tree., sticky grease bands tend to stop them climbing the tree as much.

[FB.]

I tend not to worry about ants because my ant problems seem to always become self-limiting and (like many insect pests) the ants eventually get eaten by predators.
I have a few large frogs and toads that love to sit in the shade of plants or grass near the tree trunk and lick up the ants wandering around the base of my trees. Plus the local sparrows can eat quite a lot of ants when they want to, plus the blackbirds will often have a few.

Yes, ants "farm" the aphids and will also protect the aphids from ladybird or hoverfly attack, but the ants can't protect against the attacks of parasitic wasps, which land on an aphd colony and "sting" a wasp egg/larva inside an aphid (ever seen the Sci-Fi/Horror film "Alien"?).

[Storm]

I had several young fruit bushes die on the allotment this year - for no obvious reason given the good health of their neighbours. When I uprooted them however, there were huge ant nests underneath each of them.

I don't know if this was coincidence or if the ants killed off the plant with their activity.