I have ants! (and not in pants!)

[A4orce84]

Hey Everyone,

As the subject states, I discovered today that it looks like I have a small ant infestation. I noticed several ants around the belt-line trim near my light-switch / cluster, it appears they are coming out of the areas where the cluster meets the trim. I am totally stumped how they got in the car, as I do not eat or drink in my car at all. Maybe they snuck through the cracked / vented sunroof that I have been keeping open a lot more lately due to the hot weather?

Either way, I need them GONE. What's the best way to achieve this (traps, sprays, etc.) that I can lay out and kill them all?


Thanks,
Asif

[Luxus Panzer]

Borax

[seencats]

I too had an issue a few years back. I just kept driving and did some high speed pulls but I don't think airflow from driving hits your area of infestation. Ya never know though...I'm sure they won't last long.

[hgtuner08]

i had an issue like this in my q7 when I had it parked near some woods for a while. I used bug bombs, it took a few rounds tho. Maybe a combination of borax and bug bombs

[eljay]

Before you spray anything around, test it on the back of your trim or somewhere. Some of those bug killers (including repellents) take plastic coatings right off.
I once used some bug repellent, then held my digital cam and discovered that all markings/icons on the buttons on the back of the camera that I touched were gone!

[AudiSport12]

I have this issue every time I park my car at my parents house. They crawl from the wheels up and I think they feed on the dead bugs in under the hood but they go all inside the car as well. I usually just deal with them and they die off but I have occasionally had to bomb it. Then vacuum them up lol

[Kevin C]

Terro ant traps. http://www.target.com/p/terro-ant-ki...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

[catchuk]

+1 for Borax

[Kevin C]

+1 for Borax

FYI, Terro is Borax in solution with sugar so the ants eat it and bring it back to their nest and take the whole colony out.

[14S4GWM]

Borax works, mix it correctly and use cotton balls for a day or two.

[catchuk]

FYI, Terro is Borax in solution with sugar so the ants eat it and bring it back to their nest and take the whole colony out.

Nice, I'll have to try that next time!

[Powderhound]

Totally agree with borax, will be tracked back to the colony, very effective.

[tar]

This is the best on the market. Im a entomologist at UCR which is one of the biggest entomology schools in the nation. We test alot of these products and this is by far the most effective.

http://www.epestsupply.com/cgi-bin/s...B#.V55OssllDqA

[A4orce84]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the input so far. So for those that are recommending Borax + Sugar, what is the best delivery mechanism here? Someone mentioned dipping a few cotton balls, and maybe laying them on a paper towel and letting it sit overnight inside the car? Just trying to understand what is the best delivery system here with using the Borax.

Thanks,
Asif

[14S4GWM]

I dipped the cotton balls in the borax mixture and just let them sit for a day near where the ants were. Changed the cotton balls the next day to new ones and a day later I didn't see one live or dead ant and haven't seen any since. That was 2 months ago.

[A4orce84]

Weren't you worried about it affecting / discoloring the trim? I'm assuming I should at least put a strip or 2 of a paper towel down and place the cotton ball on top of that?


Thanks,
Asif

[14S4GWM]

^this was in my house. i left the cotton balls on lids from glass jars

[Kevin C]

Put the bait in the cowl area between the engine and the windshield. The ants will find it... A complete ant trap will work, just leave it in there. No problem if it spills. I have mixed up my own borax solution and found the premixed stuff in the traps works much better.

[tar]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the input so far. So for those that are recommending Borax + Sugar, what is the best delivery mechanism here? Someone mentioned dipping a few cotton balls, and maybe laying them on a paper towel and letting it sit overnight inside the car? Just trying to understand what is the best delivery system here with using the Borax.

Thanks,
Asif

Put a few soda cap lids with the cotton/borax or optiguard(what our ant control professor suggests) and just leave them around the car. Would be best to find the nest and treat it also. Opti guard is a clear gel that won't stain and the ants will find it over sugar or similar.

[Kevin C]

Put a few soda cap lids with the cotton/borax or optiguard(what our ant control professor suggests) and just leave them around the car. Would be best to find the nest and treat it also. Opti guard is a clear gel that won't stain and the ants will find it over sugar or similar.

You do know that optiguard is a sugar based bait that uses Neonicotinoids. Personal experience is that the ants will make a nest in the car in some protected area. Basicly, you have a mobile Uncle Milton's ant farm.

[f0reignfeatures]

I had a similar problem this spring after moving into a place near the woods. Before you use chemicals I'd suggest clearing out any brush under the hood/wipers and taking a hose and washing out the area between the trunk and the rear windshield. I found out the ants were mainly coming from that trunk area of my car which had leaves/gunk built up. After clearing that out the ants went away, no chemicals needed. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk