Ahhhhhhh I hate ANTS! After a long day of gardening and putting up a shade sail over the hammock I flumped into it for a well deserved rest.
Then promptly leaped back out of it as a wave of ants swarmed over my skin!
After a shower and change of clothes I came back to inspect and found the hammock was indeed swarming. The colony seemed to be under the impression that I had thoughtfully erected an ant superhighway to allow the little beasts to cross from one tree to the next without the inconvenience of walking all the way down to the ground.
Now up with this I will not put but what to to? I don’t want to start sprinkling chemicals or poisons around where the animals and children will be, nor do i want to spray anything where we will be breathing.
Solution
1) Dryer sheets! I tied a couple around the ropes at each end of the hammock, this didn’t stop them straight away but they clearly didn’t like them and many where hesitant to walk across them. Ants communicate through smell so I’m guessing the scent was confusing or maybe it’s the waxy feeling they don’t like. Whichever it was the upshot was that within an hour of tying on the dryer sheets there was a reduction by about 80%, but I’m an only child, I do not like to share!
2) Diatomaceous earth I sprinkled a little into the folds of the outer dryer sheets, diatomaceous earth is very bad for creatures with exoskeletons, (see more here non-toxic-way-to-rid-your-home-of-insects-and-spiders/)
RESULTS
24 hours later – 0 ants in the hammock!
They have rerouted themselves across the top of the shade, which is just fine with me. It’s been over a week since the ant attack and so far I have not had to share my hammock with anyone, of course that may be because it slipped my mind to tell the children I successfully got rid of the ants!
Do you have any great chemical-free tips for getting rid of ants or other bugs?
Sunny Sleevez 
Amusing but at the same time I have empathy with anyone wanting a rest and having to share. Good to hear that you are an outdoor family – children miss so much tucked indoors with their computers.
Thanks for the great tip! 🙂 ❤ ❤ Pinned it @ http://www.pinterest.com/pin/12596073932865897/
Well, dryer sheets is hardly chemical-free, but it’s a good a use for them as any I’ve considered.
Yes of course you’re right, dryer sheets aren’t chemical free and I don’t use them on our laundry, but at least for this use they aren’t leaching some of the more toxic chemicals into the air or water.
I had ants coming up the leg of my garden chair yesterday so I wrapped a dryer sheet around the base of each leg and secured with a rubber band and that seemed to put them off, so I have tucked dryer sheets inside the cushion covers on the outside furniture too 🙂
Am so glad you came up with that solution for ants. You’ve helped lots of people, I’m sure. I live in South Florida, and there are lots of ants here. Perhaps I could ship some to you in LA since you have the best way to get rid of them without an exterminator!
Reblogged this on Linda's wildlife garden and commented:
THANK YOU FOR SHARING HAVE A BLESSED DAY
Hi! I love your blog so I nominated you for the Inspirational Blogger Award! 🙂
Great Info! 🙂 Love this post!
I’ve found vinegar works in getting rid of ants. It must be the smell.