So far the tree has been doing really well. Its only a year old (chinar tree). Infact, the ants have made the heavy clay soil in which the tree was planted from dense and compacted to very porous and well drained. Its as if the tree considers itself lucky to have the ants but will this do harm in the long run?
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What part of the world is the tree in? Do you have a Latin name for the tree? – kevinskio Feb 24 '19 at 01:00
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the ant tunnels will let the tree roots go down them, think of it like an irrigation system, and you shouldn't have an irrigation problem. – black thumb Feb 24 '19 at 07:25
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It's in south Asia. Other names for it include Platanus orientalis, the Old World sycamore, or Oriental plane. – Hamid Sabir Feb 24 '19 at 10:49
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Note, this is not the same tree as the British English "sycamore," which is *Acer pseudoplatanus.* – alephzero Feb 24 '19 at 11:02
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The ants are unlikely to damage the tree (unless it gets infected with aphids and the ants start "farming" them for honeydew) but you probably don't want an ant colony in your garden or near your house for other reasons. – alephzero Feb 24 '19 at 11:06
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Water drains quite easily and quickly because of the ant tunnels beneath but what if the ant tunnels start to lead away from the roots of the tree? Would that eventually deprive the tree of adeqaute water as water would run straight away towards the ends of the tunnels – Hamid Sabir Feb 24 '19 at 14:14