Ants are here to stay if it suits them - you can sometimes persuade them to move from one spot to another but I doubt you will get rid of them from your garden in the long term. Live and let live I suspect
Hello there, you can consider using natural ant repellents, such as coffee grounds, or citrus peels. Also cinnamon is a good option as you mention above.
These scents can deter ants without harming your rose.
Having established that I love ants but do not really want a big nest in the base of my newly planted roses as it might kill the rose:
While I wait for the clove oil to arrive, I removed the cinammon and sprinkled a layer of very smelly seaweed meal. People always say that ants don't like strongly scented things or loads of water. I think we can now dismiss the myth - or at least that it is very dependant on the individual situation.
This is quite a controlled area of study - not like an open section of garden bed or a large compost bin. The ants' nest is in an area of about 20 cubic cm. There will be fresh air around the roots of the rose.
Hope the clove oil works @Fire, although personally I cannot stand the smell of cloves at all! My grandmother used to put some in the apple pie which I hated then and still do.
@Lizzie27 any spice in an apple pie is an abomination! But I love the smell of cloves. I continue to sprinkle it in the porch even though the ants are long gone.
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Live and let live I suspect
These scents can deter ants without harming your rose.