I think I that a nest of ants moved into my car! Anyone have an idea where they might be living and how best to eliminate them?

When I park my car at work I park with my front two tires in the dirt to best fit into the shade. When I first started this I noticed and ant or two roaming the outside of my car when I went to go home. In just a couple days it went from ants on the outside to ants on the inside. May be a week after I first noticed them I saw a line of ants and larva moving from the vent under the passenger seat into my boots that I had left in the passenger foot well. This surprised the crap out of my but I figured that once they were in my boots I'd just take my boots outside with all the ants. This didn't work, when the next day came there were only a few ants left in my boots. Over the next day or two I only saw one or two ants at a time and I figured that they were all dead or gone. I was happy until one day when I saw them again this time in the weather stripping of the passenger door. I saw them again today on the driver side door weather stripping.

I don't eat in my car and I keep it very clean. Its been about a week since i first saw the larva and from day two of seeing ants there have been ant traps in the car, two under each seat. These ants have been more of an oddity then a problem as they do not bite or sting. They just kinda scurry around harmlessly. I am however starting to worry about where they are living and if they could be doing any harm. I'm worried about A/C, filters of all kinds and most of all wiring and electronics. I've thought about bug bombing my car and turning on the a/c but I don't think I want to coat the inside of my car with that crap. I've done some hunting with a can of death spray handy, I still have it ready in the car, but I haven't since seen a group of the little buggers. Each time I've seen them I think there were less so they may die out by themselves over time but any other ideas are much appreciated. Any ideas on where they might be hiding and how to get at them?

 

As a fellow Floridian, I'm going to guess that they are what are called "sugar ants" and can be very pesky little devils. Ant traps probably won't solve the problem. They need to be baited. Go to one of those do-it-yourself pest control places and bring a couple of ants with you. They'll get you squared away in no time.

Oh, and they may not be coming from the sand, they might be coming from the trees overhead. We actually had them climb up a palm tree next to the house and onto the roof and into the house through the roof vent. Industrious devils.

 

I am beekeeper (hive is a magnet for ants) . also had ants take over my truck that is often parked for a month in the back yard.
For both I used Cinnamon.
Sticks in the truck and both sticks and powder at the beehive.
This is a great tip for your kitchen as well.
It may take a lil bit but it does work and hopefully you like the smell as an air-freshiner

 

Diatomaceous Earth (food grade)

 

Bomb them with one of those insect eliminators. Also corn meal because they can not digest it and will eventually die off. This is why I am glad I lived in North Florida, Central and Southern Florida pests drive me nuts.

 

Try Terro traps. You can find them in any hardware or garden section and they are basically karo syrup mixed with a little borax. They generally run less than $3 for a pack of 3 and are sometimes cheaper than that. They work wonders for getting rid of sugar ants. My family's had problems for years and a few well-placed Terro traps usually takes care of them for a season or two. One trap should be more than enough for your car, but then your bigger issue would be where to park your car at work to prevent reinfestation.

 

I second the Terro - our house was overrun with sweet ants and nothing worked until we set a couple of Terro traps. After a week or so, not a single ant. You might have to be careful about the syrup oozing out - especially with car movement and with high temps. But you should be able to put the Terro baits on little trays or in shallow small bowls. The ants will still find them and that way you won't get syrup all over the upholstery.

 

khor1287,

Maybe you can take some time and see if you can find where they are going or coming from. They may have made a nest in the foam of your seats. If you can't find them, then the only solution may be the use of a "bug bomb".

If you do an internet search, you'll see your problem is somewhat common - especially in electrical equipment where they'll pack in their larvae and cause electrical shorts!