Ye old ant problem (or are they)

I’ve always been interested in permaculture but never took steps to actually do anything about it in my garden, until this year.

I’m trying to step back and watch and wait. Let certain bugs attract their natural predators, and do their job. But now I’ve got an ant hill in my small garden and ants are moving over the entire floor of my (in ground) garden. I mean I can still see dirt it’s not like there are so many I can’t even see the ground. But there are definitely more than I’m usually comfortable with.

The hill is right under my rose bush. I’m worried they’re eating/messing with my garlic that will be ready to harvest at the end of the month and there is NO way I want to have grown garlic for so long only to have it come up damaged.

I have clay soil that I’m still amending and aeration is my biggest problem. So obviously I’m telling myself the ants are good, the ants are great. Let them do the work and aerate for me.

But they’re also going from a strawberry bush back to their hill. And of course that brings on the whole aphid farming that I certainly don’t want on my strawberries.
I just really don’t know if they’re a problem or if if I should leave them alone.

TLDR How do you know ants have become a problem? How many are too many ants? If it’s a problem how to lessen the population so they’re helpful but not taking over?

Thank you so much!