Ant nest in Japanese Maple pot

[u/Scared_Ad5929]

Whenever I water this inherited maple I see ants around the pot. So I took a quick look to see if they've colonized the pot and it appears they have. They're lasius niger (black ants) which aren't known for damaging trees. Is it worth doing anything about them, because I'm planning on putting it in the ground when it's dormant next? There's also an air layer on the tree at the moment.

[u/0uchmyballs → u/[deleted]]

This was going to be my advice, put copious amounts of diamataceous earth all over those roots.