Moss And Ant Mounds

Dear Moss And Stone Gardens,

Ant hills are taking over my moss lawn…is there a safe way to remedy this problem? It seems to be breaking up the moss and leaving spotty areas of sand. It has taken several years to fill and I hate to see it destroyed with ant hills.

So glad to find your website!

Amy

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Dear Amy,

Congratulations on your moss lawn success! Your ant mound problem may be easy to remedy depending on the scale of the ant population and their activity in the area.

In my experience, ants will usually move their mounds out of an area where they are disturbed regularly. If you frequently water down the mounds, the ants will likely relocate to an area with less disturbance. If this doesn’t suit your needs or you wish to eliminate ants from an area without damaging your moss or using harsh chemical control, I suggest using diatomaceous earth. An ant mound is used as an entry or exit path from the colony below the surface–sprinkling diatomaceous earth around the mound and into the opening will aggravate the ants and deter them from that area without harming the moss.

I have heard of cinnamon or cloves also having an aggravating effect, so that may also be worth a try. Good luck and let me know how you fare.

– Moss And Stone Gardens