Why are garden ants attracted to my bed?
Garden ants seem to be attracted to my bed. At first, I thought it was the new piece of hemp jewelry I was wearing. But I later found out that they were interested in my sheets. I have changed my sheets and washed my mattress twice and they still seem attracted. This has been my nightmare as a kid and now I can’t sleep. Any suggestions to repel them or to prevent this from happening?
Not sure why they are attracted to your bed, however there are a few ways to get around the problem.
First – find where the ants are coming in at. Once you know this, you can use boric acid to kill the ants that are coming in. (It’s usually near the laundry detergent or the pest control isles in the grocery store.) This works for other bugs as well. You will need to sprinkle this pretty thin, or the ants won’t walk through it. Also, if there are pets and/or children living with you, don’t do this as boric acid is a type of poison.
Second – once you have found where they are coming in, you can prevent them from entering your house by sealing any cracks to your home using either foam or caulk.
If they are still around your bed, there are recipes that you can mix up of water/alcohol/soap that is an easy (and clean!) pesticide. The ratio is 40:40:20 (water/alcohol/soap).
Hope this helps!
If they are continually attracted to your bed try using a different detergent or rinse product on your sheets. Possibly the fragrance in those products is attracting the ants. Below is a link about ant baits.
Several years ago small brown ants were trying to settle in my linen closet. When I pulled sheets out to put on the bed ants would fall out on me and the floor. Yeach! I used ant baits to get rid of them. The plastic squares have holes that the ants enter to take the bait back to their colony. They can be placed in drawers or cupboards, and under your bed. Write the date you set them out on the back as it makes it easy to know which ones need replacing.