Hammocks and creepy crawlies

[Beer Monster]

Ok this maybe a bit of a random question but ......

If you are using a hammock in more tropical/hotter climes how do you prevent insects crawling along the tapes/rope to you hammock? I understand that you will be encolsed in a mosquito net so they can't reach you but how would you prevent them from even reaching that?

Basically I'm thinking about ants and their tendency to explore trees/march in columns and arrive in very large numbers very quickly!

Maybe it's just not a probelm? WIll someone enlighten me ......?

 

[bloodline]

I have splashed some Meths on the hammock tapes a few times to deter the wood ants that were making ground dwelling a misery. Worked for me.

 

[Arth]

Try vaselin on the rope.

 

[Templar]

Ok this maybe a bit of a random question but ......

If you are using a hammock in more tropical/hotter climes how do you prevent insects crawling along the tapes/rope to you hammock? I understand that you will be encolsed in a mosquito net so they can't reach you but how would you prevent them from even reaching that?

Basically I'm thinking about ants and their tendency to explore trees/march in columns and arrive in very large numbers very quickly!

Maybe it's just not a probelm? WIll someone enlighten me ......?

Hi all,

This is a problem often seen in people who are new to the jungle; it basically comes down to selection of your Hootch site.

First, look at the trees and the area around the site you wish to use; are there any ant trails close to your chosen site?
From my experience at the Jungle Warfare School in Australia, the ants don't tend to stray more than a few metres of the primary trails.

Second, keep your site clean, don’t eat in you sleeping area, crumbs will attract them quickly.

Third, you can put wood ashes around the base of the support trees this will deter them also.

Fourth, clear all the loose leaf litter away from under your Hootch, this helps break the scent trails that they follow, as per the wood ash.

By following these basic principles, you can avoid being invaded in the night, this goes for the more inquisitive mammals you will come across in these locations too...

Hope this helps,

Karl

 

[eskimo]

When I was in the Amazon I took my Hennessy with me. I also worried about this so took a couple of plastic pop bottles, like Cola etc. Cut the bottoms off them and then threaded my cord through the bottle opening with the open (cut) section of the bottle going outwards from the hammock on each side, this gave a funnel type effect, If any ants came down the cord (or anything bigger) they would eventually walk into the open end of the bottle and become stuck. You can also smear vaseline or charcoal around the opening of the bottle.

 

[philm4]

I thought the standard form was to wash the strapping in pemrethin (insectiside), the Ash tip also seems good if a little labour intensive.

 

[born2roam]

Never did anything then 'normal' camp procedures to keep them out AND I have never been truly bothered while in my hammock. ONE time though...

That one time we setup camp in this newly build cabin in the middle of "La Mosquitia" (Honduras). 2 or 3 bunkbeds could be used (and where used by my guides), I preferred my hammock and strung up between some poles.

During the night I here my guides softly cursing (me thinks cos me no speak that indian language)... putting on my headlight there was a gigantic black mass fighting eachother. 2 Colonies of ants on the warpath... and we were in between...goodbye cabin, hello jungle again

Normal camp procedures, among other things: no leaves (ants, snakes, spiders, centipedes, etc) fire, ash, most if not all was said about that but I never took any specific precautions against them climbing up the hammock (Hennessy). Heard some of the Malay or Thai smearing tiger balm against well.. against almost anything come to think of it...

Grtz Johan

 

[Beer Monster]

Thanks for the advice guys . Very interesting. Never knew about the ash trick!