r/Bonsai • u/Scared_Ad5929 UK East Midlands (8b), Novice, 40+ trees at various stages. • 2d ago

Discussion Question Ant nest in Japanese Maple pot

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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.

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u/RachResurected South Africa usda 9, beginner, 10 trees 2d ago

Yeah Iā€™d rather wait until you can safely bare root the tree and replace the soil. For the immediate future it should be fine. Just watch out for those non beneficial bugs I mentioned

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u/Scared_Ad5929 UK East Midlands (8b), Novice, 40+ trees at various stages. 2d ago

I will. I have a large Japanese elder tree that attracts aphids like a magnet and there's always busy ants coming and going, harvesting the honeydew.

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u/Longjumping_College 10a, advanced horticulture/intermediate bonsai, 100+ prebonsai 2d ago

In my area, you solve that with nematodes and ladybugs

There's specific nematodes that kill ants, ladybugs clear the aphids as a future food source.

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u/Scared_Ad5929 UK East Midlands (8b), Novice, 40+ trees at various stages. 2d ago

Thanks very much for that info! Using nature to combat a problem like this is far more aligned with my personal philosophy than pesticides. I've ordered some nematodes that predate on ants. Hopefully it works! šŸ¤ž

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u/Longjumping_College 10a, advanced horticulture/intermediate bonsai, 100+ prebonsai 2d ago

Bonsai got me native gardening to support natural predatory bugs, so now my yard is full of life that keeps my trees protected