Interpretation: Ants want to shake trees. Metaphor is overreaching.
"Mayflies Shake Trees" comes from the poem Diao Zhang Ji written by Han Yu to his friends in Tang Dynasty: "Mayflies Shake Trees, which is ridiculous."
In the middle Tang Dynasty, when Wang, Meng Heyuan and Bai's poetic style prevailed, the poetic achievements of Li Bai and Du Fu were often ignored or even belittled. In this poem, Han Yu spoke highly of Li and Du's poems, and mocked how "Qun 'er" destroyed their predecessors in ignorance and ridiculously.
There are similar idioms: Gladiator's arms are like cars, throwing eggs at stones.
References:
Mayflies shake trees, ridiculous and not self-measured!