Help! Ants in my car!!!!

teoteo Member Posts: 2,508
edited June 2015 in Mercury
An army of ants has recently "Invaded" the interior of my wife's 1997 Mercury Tracer LS. We started noticing the ants about a week or so ago and it is getting worse. We don't have kids and we both never eat any food inside our cars. Actually we keep or cars pristine and clean in and out to avoid this kind of thing (We live in South Florida, insect paradise)but we are both baffled since we haven't been able to effectively get rid of them. They appear to be coming from the ventilation outlets, under the dashboard and somewhere at the bottom of the windshield (So it seems). We have cleaned, vacuumed the car, sprayed it with insect killer to no avail.

My wife says that she feels the ants crawling on her when driving the car which is quite an uncomfortable experience.

We have no idea as to what else to try. I would love to take this as an opportunity to sell the car (She wants a new Pontiac Vibe, but it will not be for sale yet until next year) but still we need to get rid of the ants anyhow whether we keep or sell the car.

Any suggestions or ideas we could try to take care of this pesky problem?


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How Do I Get Rid Of Ants In My Car? (Orkin)

Comments

  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    thats a strange problem u got.
    i dont have ants in my car but i do have these little white things that moves and i cant figure out what the heck they are! they are very tiny white dust particle on the roof of my van and side. i can only spot them move if i look real close. i kept washing the van and they keep coming back in the morning!

    i just can't figure it out!
  • easyrider300measyrider300m Member Posts: 1,116
    you close the windows and set the can on the back seat---then get out and leave it for a few hours---then be sure to vent the car by opening all window for several hours--then I would run the fan-vent for another hour or so---that should kill all living things in that car

    If you still have loads of ants after that, think about donating or selling the car---it must be possessed!
  • easyrider300measyrider300m Member Posts: 1,116
    cook up some hamburgers, hot dogs, and some nice chicken and also buy some nice chocolate cake. Put out this spread on a nice blanket right next to the car and leave the door open. Ant love to invade picnics and this should work in your case. All the ants will leave your car and have a feast.

    Good luck
  • easyrider300measyrider300m Member Posts: 1,116
    you could take some gasoline---spread it all over the front and rear seats and rugs---then take a match in throw it into an opened window--leave all windows open for optimum effect---then wait 20 minutes; then call the fire department and your insurance company----guaranteed to cure your problem
  • teoteo Member Posts: 2,508
    Nice suggestions...dang it! why did I not think about any of these before???
  • dpwestlakedpwestlake Member Posts: 207
    What kind of ants? If you park under a tree they may be carpenter ants falling out of it. If that's the case, get the tree taken care of before it falls.
  • teoteo Member Posts: 2,508
    Dp,, you are right. My wife parks the car near a tree in our Condo. I'll have her switch her parking spot.
  • hyundairacerhyundairacer Member Posts: 10
    That's right. the ants probably live outside, but because the car is parked over their home, they get inside. my car started to have little black ants. i looked around the car, and noticed that ants had taken up a home inthe parking stop. by moving the car, the ants stopped coming in. also, cold weather kills these tropical ants. take it for a ride up north.
  • seeligseelig Member Posts: 590
    not laughing at you, but the suggestions......bug spray.....bug bombs?
    all effective to a point, but in a car?
    you ever hear of denatured alcohol (shellac thinner)?
    it is clear, highly evaporative, will not stain or leave an odor. i use the stuff all the time in my profession, and we spray things that move with it all the time around the office. some things it will kill, others it won't, but most of the time it will get rid of the little critters. with ants, it will knock em out, but if they are after something, they will be back. if they are harboring in the ventilation components of the car, you can at least drown the little rats by dowsing them with this stuff, and you won't be getting sick later on because the odor evaporates.
    do let the car air out, and NO FLAMES around till it evaporates. don't even start it.
  • sirfilesirfile Member Posts: 42
    To teo / Message #1

    There are two effective methods to rid your vehicle of the ant infestation [other than those previous clever suggestions].

    The first solution is commercial, in the form of a product called Terro. Small drops are placed on pieces of cardboard, and ants are attracted like you won't believe! The ants injest the Terro, and return to the nest to share their feast.

    The second method is more homespun . . . and works really well. Combine equal part of the following ingredients:

    Borax Soap [or Boric Acid]
    Confectioners Sugar
    Packaged Yeast

    Leave the mixture in small containers, such as jar lids. The ants will feast on the yeast and sugar, and bam! . . . the borax nails them!

    Both of these solutions work extremely well in kitchens, etc. Good luck! I hope you don't have to resort to the gasoline solutions.
  • crossedrealitycrossedreality Member Posts: 72
    I had a friend in highschool with a mid-80s Bonneville. Ants invaded his trunk, and actually built a visible nest. His solution? He fed them in his trunk so they wouldn't go anywhere else in the car. They had quite a comfortable life.
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    sirfile,
    Terro works great, we get the little black sugar ants here and it is the only thing that gets rid of them.
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